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Jonathan C. Bess is the President/CEO of Mercury Federal, a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), HUBZone, and Small Disadvantaged Business committed to advancing mission outcomes and procurement success as a trusted partner to the federal government.
A former U.S. Navy Commanding Officer and senior IT executive, Jonathan has led multi-billion-dollar digital modernization efforts across the Department of Defense and the Intelligence Community. His areas of expertise include cloud strategy, advanced analytics, cybersecurity, enterprise risk management, and audit readiness.
Before founding Mercury Federal, Jonathan held senior leadership positions across the Joint Staff, Fleet Forces Command, the Department of the Navy CIO, the Department of Defense CIO, and with leading organizations such as Deloitte, the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC), and Palantir. In these roles, he delivered mission-critical solutions for the Air Force, Army, Navy, Joint Staff, and the DoD Fourth Estate.
Jonathan holds a Master’s degree in Government Analytics from Johns Hopkins University. Widely recognized as a strategic pathfinder, he excels at aligning emerging technologies with federal mission needs. He brings a results-driven mindset to complex acquisition and IT challenges—helping agencies reduce costs, manage risk, and achieve measurable performance outcomes.
The Mercury Federal team is composed of senior professionals with deep expertise gained through years of service in both the U.S. Government and private industry.
Our collective experience spans key sectors including the Department of Defense (DoD), the Intelligence Community (IC), and Civilian Agencies, as well as the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). Team members bring leadership insights from some of the world’s largest Information Technology (IT) and services firms, giving us a unique perspective at the intersection of national security and cutting-edge industry innovation.