Executive Team

David Phelps is the founder of Merlin and currently serves as the Chairman and CEO. David is responsible for defining the company’s strategy and direction, setting the corporate culture, and leading the senior executive team in support of future growth. Prior to founding Merlin, David developed a deep understanding of the federal marketplace during his 25-year career, which included service in the U.S. Navy and industry positions with Ford Aerospace, Martin Marietta, Loral Aerospace, and The Aerospace Corporation. By combining his extensive background in satellite command and control, ground systems design and development, and high-performance computing with an extremely successful business model, he has turned Merlin into one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States.

Julie Xiang is Chief Revenue Officer for Merlin, where she is responsible for leading the company and growing revenue in both the public and private sectors. Julie has more than 20 years of information technology sales and sales management experience, including seven years at IBM, where she achieved significant recognition. She has also held leadership positions at Oracle and Datatel Inc. Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the Shanghai International Studies University, a Master of Education from Boston University, and a Bachelor of Science in Computer and Information Science from the University of Maryland University College.

Stephen McCarney is the Chief Marketing Officer at Merlin and is responsible for all aspects of Merlin's marketing strategy and initiatives to accelerate brand and business growth.

Stephen is an accomplished information security marketing technologist and accelerated growth executive with more than 25 years of experience. Before joining Merlin, he led marketing for OPAQ (acquired by Fortinet), a secure access service edge (SASE) provider and Gartner Cool Vendor which he helped form in 2016. Prior to OPAQ, Stephen was VP of Marketing for Arxan Technologies, a leading application security company, where he developed and drove global branding and go-to-market programs. His past leadership roles include global security marketing at Unisys Corporation and other companies large and small.

Stephen also formed and led a strategic marketing and business growth consulting firm for four years. His firm served as an advisor to clients such as Booz Allen Hamilton, Deltek, Marine Healthcare Services, and the U.S. Army. He is a graduate of The George Washington University.

Brandon Porter is the General Counsel and Secretary for Merlin, where he is responsible for managing all aspects of Merlin’s legal functions, practices, and policies. Brandon began his legal career in the federal government, holding positions including JAG attorney for the US Air Force (USAF), Special Assistant US Attorney for the Department of Justice (DoJ), and Deputy Legal Counsel for the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Since joining the private sector more than a decade ago, he has held leadership roles in both public companies (Lumen/CenturyLink, Equifax) and private companies (World Wide Technology, Arcadian Infracom) focused on tech, telecom, information and cybersecurity, and government contracting. Brandon earned his JD from St. Louis University School of Law and his MBA from Washington University in St. Louis.

Steve Davis is the Senior Vice President of Sales at Merlin Cyber, bringing over 20 years of experience in working with federal government and public sector customers. As a seasoned professional, Steve has a proven track record in addressing complex
challenges in cybersecurity, data, and analytics.

Throughout his career, Steve has been instrumental in driving growth and development within sales organizations at highly respected companies, including Informatica, SAS, EMC, and Documentum. His leadership and strategic vision have consistently resulted in enhanced organizational performance and increased revenue.

Steve is an expert in building and leading high- performing sales teams, with a focus on delivering innovative solutions to meet the evolving needs of his clients. His extensive experience in the industry has equipped him with a deep understanding of the
technological landscape and the unique requirements of federal and public sector entities.

A native of Washington, DC, Steve is committed to leveraging his expertise to contribute to the security and efficiency of government operations. He holds a degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA. When not immersed in solving customer challenges, Steve spends his free time on the golf course, in the garage tinkering on automobiles, or working on home improvement projects.

Miguel Sian brings over 20 years of experience in IT systems engineering, solutions architecture, consulting and technical program management. Currently working as the Senior Vice President of Technology at Merlin, Miguel leads a team of cybersecurity solution architects, engineers and client success managers who provide technical services for the public sector and commercial markets. Prior to joining Merlin, Miguel was at VMware where he served in a technical leadership position in the pursuit and capture of large federal programs related to cloud, mobility, cybersecurity and end user computing. In the private sector, Miguel led a team of systems engineers that supported the largest-ever launch of new low-fare service in the history of the airline business.

He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science, Master of Science in Management of Information Technology, and several technical certifications including CISSP, CCSP and ITIL.

Rachel Weisz is Senior Vice President of Federal Sales for Merlin, where she leads the company’s federal sales team and helps grow revenue in the public sector market. She accelerates sales by working across her team to create flexible cybersecurity solutions with innovative consumption models that provide increased value to stakeholders.

Rachel has more than 20 years of experience selling, designing, developing, and implementing technology solutions to support strategic business objectives. Before joining Merlin, she spent two years at Gartner connecting federal clients with the most effective resources to inform their technology decision-making. Prior to that, Rachel spent 17 years with IBM in sales, sales management, and delivery roles achieving the highest achievement recognition.

She holds an MBA from the University of Maryland Smith School of Business and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Duke University.

Joseph Clark is Vice President of Sales for State Local & Education for Merlin, where he is responsible for growing revenue in that market.  Joe has more than 20 years of information technology sales and sales management experience in the Public Sector, including eight years at IBM, where he achieved significant recognition. He has also held leadership positions at Workiva and Aisera.  Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science from the United States Naval Academy and served 7 years in the U.S. Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer.  He also holds a Juris Doctorate degree with honors from the University of Maryland School of Law and passed the bar in both Maryland and Virginia.