DataPath appoints Kevin Benedict SVP of US government sales

DataPath, Inc. of Altanta, GA announced on November 15 that the company has appointed Kevin Benedict as its new senior vice president of U.S. government sales. In this role, Benedict will be responsible for leading the growing DataPath sales team that is dedicated to serving U.S. defense, intelligence, and civilian agencies as it expands and diversifies its customer base.

Benedict brings extensive satellite communications expertise in the civilian and military sectors to DataPath, meaning he has experience on both the customer and supplier sides of the industry. In addition to his most previous role as vice president of business development at SES Government Solutions, Benedict has held numerous senior-level business development, strategic planning and program management positions at several defense contractors including Raytheon, Ball Aerospace, and SAIC. Prior to joining the defense industry, Benedict served as a career U.S. Air Force officer with positions spanning satellite acquisition, space launch operations, and high performance computing. These positions included serving as the chief of the Satellite Acquisition Branch for the DoD Space Test Program, senior launch crew for the 30^th Space Wing, and director of the Maui High Performance Computing Center.

Benedict’s educational background is also deep. He holds an executive MBA with an emphasis on international business from the University of Colorado, a Master of Science in space operations and space systems engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology, a Master of Arts in human resources development from Webster University, and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Colorado Technical University. Benedict has earned numerous professional accreditations including certification as a project management professional.

His appointment is part of a strategic initiative to increase DataPath’s presence in the Washington D.C. area. In order to strengthen long-term relationships with customers and industry partners, Benedict will be based in the region at an office set to open in Northern Virginia in early 2017. DataPath has also already hired additional local business development and engineering personnel.

“For 25 years, DataPath has provided dedicated service to the U.S. military. While we expand into new commercial and international markets, the addition of Kevin Benedict to DataPath’s leadership team demonstrates that we also remain firmly committed to carrying on our proud heritage as a trusted provider to the U.S. government,” said David Myers, president and CEO of DataPath. “Kevin’s 20 years of military service paired with his broad knowledge of satellite networks means he brings a true understanding of the unique communications requirements of government customers.”

Source: DataPath