Leadership

Brian Miller

CEO/Visionary

Brian is a U.S. Veteran and Internet Era pioneer who enjoyed a successful internet and UNIX consulting career before founding Atlas Tech. His formal training in electronic communications came during his service in the U.S. Navy. When the Navy sought to utilize internet technologies to transform its legacy stovepipe systems into packetized data, Brian was called to merge the two technologies. Additionally, he was the first to establish and manage Internet Service Providers throughout the state of South Carolina. Later, with the Atlas team beside him, he was the first again to blaze a trail as Atlas Tech was the pioneer in outfitting entire naval Battle Groups with cutting-edge Automated Digital Networking Systems (ADNS).

As CEO, Brian focuses his energy on setting the vision and strategy of Atlas and ensuring alignment with the communities in which Atlas serves. Brian is intimately involved in all aspects of Atlas business including serving with other Atlas Team Members on the front lines of food distribution events, plunging into freezing water to fundraise for the Special Olympics, or guest speaking for the March of Dimes.

As a veteran of the first Gulf War, deployed to the Middle East during Desert Storm, Brian is a proud recipient of the ESGR's Patriot Award for supporting our active-duty men and women. He has been, and remains today, dedicated to being a true leader and diligent servant of others.

David Diehl

Vice President

David has been at the helm since inception, having founded Atlas Tech alongside Brian Miller.

He grew up the son of a U.S. Army Officer, spending his childhood in multiple states across the U.S. as well as a period in Germany prior to landing in D.C. He joined the U.S. Navy where he served for 6 years as a Data Systems Technician, achieving E-5 rank and was selected to teach Naval communications systems.

After leaving the Navy David joined SAIC, a contractor with whom he continued his Naval communications work. During this time David worked by day and attended school by night, earning an Associates in Electronics from Gavilan College followed by a degree in Computer Science from National University. He then transitioned to what is now Serco, where he began developing software and met Brian. The two decided to form their own company and though initially intent on creating a small niche company, soon realized the importance of growth to the critical work they could provide to the military.

While David officially left military service in 1986, he continues his family’s tradition of defending our nation through Atlas.

John Jones

Senior Vice President of Corporate Development

John has been with Atlas Tech for over 20 years, now serving as Senior Vice President of Corporate Development.

With a lifetime love of the water, John’s first degree was in marine biology, which he later coupled with computer science. Now, having served in a variety of roles with ever-increasing responsibility at Atlas, John leverages that hands-on experience to provide management and oversight for operations, finances, and other functional areas of the company. John has a passion for leading dynamic organizational improvement, and at Atlas Tech he values how people collectively come together to achieve optimal results and impact change both for their customers and their communities.

John also has a deep admiration for organizations that prioritize helping those in need. In addition to working with Atlas Tech to support local schools and educational programs, John serves on the board for the Special Olympics of South Carolina.

Gary Jaffe

VICE PRESIDENT OF STRATEGY AND GROWTH

Gary serves as Vice President of Strategy and Growth for Atlas Tech, responsible for strategic planning, capture management, and business development oversight.

A Virginia native, Gary migrated to Charleston where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, then his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at The Citadel. Gary was commissioned through the ROTC Program at The Citadel and served four years in the U.S. Air Force as an officer before beginning his career in defense contracting. Having been a deployed warfighter serving in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and now a senior defense contracting professional with experience in both the direct and indirect sides of the business, he brings a unique perspective when addressing the opportunities and challenges within the industry. His role at Atlas Tech allows him to remain connected to the mission and able to continue making an impact.

Gary currently serves as President of the Charleston Defense Contractors Association, where he has been a Board member since 2018. He has also served as a NIWC Atlantic Contracts Industry Council member for many years and is the current Vice President of the National Contract Management Charleston Chapter. In 2020, he was named to the Charleston Regional Business Journal’s "Forty under 40" class.

Susan Zitnick

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

Sue Zitnick serves as Director of Operations. 

Sue came to Atlas Tech in 2019, with an extensive technical and leadership experience in defense contracting. In her over 20 years in the industry, she has focused on the Systems Engineering and Secure Network Engineering of U.S government programs. Sue began her career supporting the overhaul of the Navy’s Enterprise Network overseas, where she honed her network design, installation, and computer network defense skills. She later turned her attention to more shore-based programs after moving to the Charleston area. On projects ranging from Data Center Consolidation to the Navy’s Innovation Cell, she has served as a subject matter expert, as a technical leader, and as a program manager. Now at Atlas, Sue directs Operations and has successfully led the expansion of programs, the collaboration of teams, technical operations, ship work, contract management, and proposal development.

Sue graduated from Boston College with her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a minor in Computer Science and holds certifications as both a Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP) and a Project Management Professional (PMP). In 2021 Sue was named one of the Top Women in Business in South Carolina, a recognition based on career achievements, community involvement, and company contributions.

John Mentzer

DIRECTOR OF INFRASTRUCTURE

Atlas Tech’s first technician to come on board, John Mentzer has been with the company since 1998. He began his career serving seven years in the U.S. Navy where he acquired his education and served our country as an electronics technician. After leaving the Navy, he worked at GTE Government Systems followed by Milcom Systems Corporation before joining Atlas. Over the years, John has served in various roles for Atlas Tech and has witnessed many milestones achieved and personally led the deployment and expansion of the company, the tools and applications, and technologies that allow Atlas Tech to effectively serve and grow with our customers.

John opened Atlas Tech’s first Virginia location in Chesapeake in 1999 where he grew and managed that location until 2007. While continuing to manage the Chesapeake location, John briefly relocated to San Diego in 2004 for seven months to foster relationships with the government customers there and establish and staff a new office location. After turning over the management of Chesapeake, John became Atlas’s first Business Development Manager to focus on new opportunities for the company. In 2008, John was appointed Chief Operations Officer to manage Atlas Tech’s three operational locations. With Atlas Tech’s need to embrace technology and establish centralized information technology services for the company, John was appointed as Chief Information Officer in 2009. As Atlas Tech continued to grow and enhance its management team, John was appointed to the Director of Infrastructure role in 2014.

John’s first-hand knowledge of the information threats faced daily by both military and business allows him to continually reassess Atlas Tech’s security posture spanning incident response, system resilience, and threat management. As the Director of Infrastructure, John is accountable for Atlas's physical and network infrastructure. This includes managing all aspects of Atlas’s facilities and as well as Atlas’s technology strategy, leveraging emerging technologies to bring the newest innovations to the team while ensuring compliance with DoD requirements.

Richard Davis

DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES

Richard joined the Atlas Tech team in January 2019, continuing an extensive career in executive management in operations and human resources. He graduated with his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and his Master of Business Administration (MBA) from The Citadel in Charleston. Richard also holds credentials as a Senior Certified Professional from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM-SCP), Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR), and Certified Leave Management Specialist (CLMS).

Like all the Team Members at Atlas Tech, Richard is passionate about making a difference and spent many years serving as an adult leader in his children’s Boy Scout troop. Now, with the rest of Atlas’s Senior Leadership Team, he continues giving back through the company’s significant positive impact endeavors.

Cynthia Coldren

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Serving with Atlas Tech since 2010, Cynthia first joined the team as Assistant Controller prior to assuming her current role as Director of Finance. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business at Indiana University and later obtained her CPA license. Starting her career with four years at Ernst & Young as a senior auditor, Cynthia honed her skills across the industry in both finance and accounting with roles of ever-increasing responsibility. Today her experience in budgeting, financial reporting--including comprehensive reviews and in-depth analysis--modeling, and executive communication help ensure that Atlas Tech continues to foster the culture of transparency and differentiating value that has been distinguishing since its founding military contracts.

The spouse of a veteran, Cynthia is proud of both the high integrity characteristic of Atlas Team Members and our government partners—one of the many reasons she chooses to leverage her talents and expertise to serve on the Atlas Tech team.

Jess Fletcher

DIRECTOR OF CONTRACTS

As Director of Contracts for Atlas Tech, Jess provides leadership and management for our contract and subcontract administration and industrial security teams. 

Originally from Florida, she moved to Charleston in 2007 to earn her undergraduate degree from the College of Charleston, where she double majored in Business Administration and Economics. Later, she returned to Florida to attend Florida State University College of Law, where she received her J.D. Jess is a member of the South Carolina Bar; however, after a brief stint in the world of nonprofits, she began her career in government contracting as a Contracts Administrator at SAIC and never looked back.

Jess currently serves on the NIWC Atlantic Contracts Industry Council, helping industry and government collaborate to solve problems and achieve collective goals. She is passionate about process improvement and identifying areas for new efficiencies. She resides in the Charleston area with her husband and their rescue dog, Ace.