Who we are
At Apogee, we are a group of doers from diverse technical backgrounds dedicated to implementing cutting-edge research for the Intelligence and DoD communities. We work in cross-disciplinary teams and measure our success based on our impact to National Security, not profit or growth. Because we aim to work on the hardest problems and thrive on delivery, we spend a lot of time scoping out problems up-front to ensure that they’re solvable and partner closely with our customers to ensure we deliver operational value. At Apogee Research we work hard, we get things done, and we do it together.
OUR TEAM
We recognize that our success is built on the efforts of our talented and dedicated staff to deliver high quality results that matter. To facilitate this, we work in small teams that have direct access to and mentorship from senior staff and leaders of the company. Our teams are purposefully built with diversity of thought and approach. Our staff has a broad range of technical backgrounds that include computer science, physics, engineering and applied mathematics. Through collaboration, rigorous thought, and continued learning we are able to create innovative solutions that our customers trust us to deliver.
Evan Fortunato
CEO/President
Evan earned his B.S. (Physics) and Ph.D. (Nuclear Engineering) from MIT. He planned to pursue either academia or management consulting, until 9/11 hit. A New York native, Evan quickly shifted his attention to National Security.
Over the last 2 decades, Evan established a track record of
- identifying key problems in National Security
- developing relevant and scalable solutions to those problems, and
- working to transition those solutions into use to have an impact.
He’s worked for a mid-sized company (Alphatech), large company (BAE Systems), and in the Government (as a DARPA PM), and published over 25 articles in peer-reviewed journals.
At DARPA’s “Wait, What?” Conference (2015), he was recognized by the Secretary of Defense for his work that “proved critical to the military’s cyber mission”.
David Gerson
Vice President
David learned that motivated, focused teams can make the impossible happen while landing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket for the first time. As Vice President of Apogee, David is focused on leveraging these experiences to build and lead teams tackling seemingly intractable challenges in national security. David’s favorite part of Apogee is stitching together ideas from experts in different domains into real-world solutions that actually address the core issues at hand – going from novel research through to operational products. David loves cats, ice cream, exploring the outdoors – and most things that make fire.
Jessa Lee
CTO
After growing up in the SF Bay Area, completing her undergrad and masters at Stanford (B.S. Physics, M.S. EE), and working in Silicon Valley for half a dozen years, Jessa moved to the DMV to join Apogee. Lots of people told her she was crazy (and still do…), but she considers it the best professional decision of her career. Why? Great mentorship, an org built around technical leadership and tackling problems with core technical risk, and the opportunity to work on hard technical problems that, if solved, would have clear and significant impact on real-world challenges.
Scott Silverberg
CFO
Scott’s philosophy is always to think “employees first”. Scott gets excited about finding creative ways to help employees while maintaining company stability. With over 15 years of Accounting and Finance experience, and a career long focus on government contracting, Scott provides sound expertise and a forward thinking vision for Apogee. Scott graduated from the University of Maryland with degrees in Accounting and Operations Management from the Robert H. Smith School of Business. As the CFO and a member of the executive leadership team, Scott oversees the financial and accounting team, strategic financial planning, and treasury management. Scott is an avid sports fan and enjoys playing fantasy football. He lives in McLean with his wife Emily and two daughters. Whether it’s running marathons or running after his two little girls, Scott enjoys keeping busy.
OUR VALUES
Be ethical and responsible.
If it doesn’t feel right, pause before you proceed. Do what you say you will. If you can’t, openly own up to the issue and make it right. Honest failure is a healthy part of life. Celebrate it and learn from it.
Bring together intellectually diverse perspectives to see things that others can’t or won’t.
Our staff come from a variety of technical backgrounds, including Physics, Math, Computer Science, and [Mechanical, Electrical, Nuclear, Chemical, Aeronautical] Engineering. We all have something to learn and something to teach.
Work on interesting, hard technical problems that matter.
We don’t take on projects to grow our revenue. We take on projects because we think that they will matter. We think about how the technology will get used before we start developing it.
Get things done by working together.
If you don’t know something, ask around to find out who does. Our staff work on a mix of assignments, some in areas they know and others which are chosen to push their limits and grow their skills.
We care about National Security.
We believe that national security matters, and we are proud to support these efforts.