25 Public-Sector Channel Leaders

21. Vin Riera, Gateway
Title: Vice President of Professional Services and Public Sector
Years In Position: 1
Years In Public Sector: 10
Most Admired In Gov't: No answer
Channel Philosophy: "Attempting to meet every requirement in the federal, state and local government marketplaces is challenging. A vendor must be able to quickly deliver [to partners] those solutions that present the greatest upside and impact for customers. [In return,] partners have to be highly responsive and flexible; work closely with partners to develop product and services offerings that help meet customer requirements and objectives."

22. Tom Ruff, EMC
Title: Director of Federal Business, Development and Partner Management
Years In Position: 2
Years In Public Sector: 24
Most Admired In Gov't: Christie Todd Whitman
Channel Philosophy: "Understanding the rules governing government procurements and the multitude of acquisition strategies and routes to market becomes key, [as does] understanding the partner base--resellers, distributors, federal systems integrators, small businesses. The public-sector market is not one-size-fits-all."

23. Bill Vass, Sun Microsystems
Title: President and COO of Sun Federal
Years In Position: Less than 1
Years In Public Sector: 10
Most Admired In Gov't: Too many to choose
Channel Philosophy: "Channel partners grow share faster if they're partnering to deliver solutions to customers rather than just acting as fulfillment. The federal-government customer is looking for partners that understand their pain points and have the expertise to architect a solution that meets customers' expectations and budgets."

24. Bert Wakeley, Citrix Systems
Title: Director of State and Local Government and Education
Years In Position: 5
Years In Public Sector: 25-plus
Most Admired In Gov't: Theodore Roosevelt
Channel Philosophy: "Understand the governments and agencies you're pursuing, and engage totally, [then] look at the issues from their perspectives and provide the solutions. In the public sector, it's most often whom you know that makes the critical difference."

25. Mark Weber, Network Appliance
Title: Vice President of Federal Systems Group
Years In Position: 3
Years In Public Sector: 21
Most Admired In Gov't: U.S. Marines
Channel Philosophy: "Don't try to be a generalist. Focus on the top two to five products and solutions from your key vendors and go to market with them in order to be successful in a partnership."