Marquis Who’s Who Honors Richard Forsht for Leadership in Federal IT, Digital Transformation, Telecommunications, Networking, Cybersecurity, and Mission-Critical Operations
Richard Forsht is recognized for 35+ years of leadership advancing federal and defense IT, telecommunications, networking, cybersecurity, digital transformation, and mission-critical operations supporting national security and the warfighter
His published works include the “ServiceNow AI Playbook” (2025) and “Unlocking the Full Potential of ServiceNow ITSM” (2025), produced with 22nd Century Technologies Inc.
ARLINGTON, VA, August 20, 2026 /24-7PressRelease/ — Richard Forsht has been selected for inclusion in Marquis Who’s Who. As in all Marquis Who’s Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Mr. Forsht’s professional journey reflects more than 35 years of leadership, innovation and digital transformation across the military, public and private sectors. In 2026, he assumed the role of Senior Vice President of Federal Services at 22nd Century Technologies Inc. and Head of 22nd Century Networks Inc., where he leads strategic transformation initiatives supporting Department of Defense (DoD), federal, state and local government clients. This appointment followed his tenure as Vice President of Federal Services at 22nd Century Technologies Inc. from 2025 to 2026, during which he helped advance technology solutions and services for government customers.
Before joining 22nd Century Technologies Inc., Mr. Forsht served as a Program Manager and Senior Enterprise Architect at the U.S. General Services Administration from 2023 to 2025. In this capacity, he helped shape enterprise architecture strategies and manage complex technology initiatives supporting federal operations and modernization.
From 2010 to 2023, Mr. Forsht held senior leadership roles at the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), culminating in his service as Chief of the Global Service Desk Management Office. Initially recruited from Verizon Business to help bridge the divide between engineering and operations, he went on to lead one of the most consequential transformations of his career. Over more than eight years, he consolidated over 128 disparate service desks into a unified center of excellence, creating a single point of contact for telecommunications and IT support serving more than 200,000 DoD endpoints and transforming the customer experience across the defense enterprise.
His leadership at DISA produced measurable mission and financial impact. Mr. Forsht spearheaded digital transformation initiatives that streamlined service operations, reduced complexity and introduced a one-click approach to IT support. These efforts generated more than $50 million in savings for the Department of Defense while significantly reducing friction in the support experience. In recognition of his contributions to IT and cybersecurity excellence, he received the Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Annual Award in 2021 and was named among the Federal 100 in 2022.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Forsht served as Deputy Engineering Program Manager and Senior Information Technology Consultant at Verizon from 2001 to 2010. There, he contributed to major telecommunications and networking initiatives supporting DISA and provided information technology and cybersecurity expertise to DISA and JTF-GNO/CYBERCOM. From 2000 to 2001, he served as a Senior Information Technology Consultant with ITT Inc., supporting research and development efforts.
Mr. Forsht began his career in the United States Air Force, serving from 1991 to 2000 in telecommunications and information technology roles supporting command-and-control communications, including Presidential Communications and Special Air Missions. This foundational experience developed both his technical expertise and his commitment to mission-focused public service, principles that have guided his subsequent leadership across government and industry.
Throughout his career, Mr. Forsht has remained actively engaged with the broader defense and technology community. He is a member of AFCEA International, reflecting his continued involvement in advancements across telecommunications, networking, cybersecurity and information technology supporting national security missions.
Mr. Forsht completed bachelor’s coursework in Management Information Systems at National Louis University and has continued his professional education throughout his career. Most recently, he completed the Certificate Program in Agentic AI through the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering in 2026 and the Executive Branch Artificial Intelligence Lab through the Wilson Center in 2024. His professional credentials also include ITIL 4 Foundation certification from PeopleCert; Customer Experience Accelerator Boot Camp, Knowledge-Centered Service (KCS) principles and Support Center Director certifications from the Help Desk Institute; an Effects, Metrics and Risk Management Workshop certificate from the Naval Postgraduate School; ISO 20000 Foundation certification; and Six Sigma Green Belt certification.
Mr. Forsht attributes his achievements to a determination to take on complex challenges that others may consider insurmountable. Influenced by his military training and mentors who encouraged him to challenge perceived limitations, he has built his career around solving difficult problems, transforming organizations and creating measurable outcomes for the missions and customers he serves.
His contributions extend beyond operational and executive leadership into thought leadership. His published works include the “ServiceNow AI Playbook” (2025) and “Unlocking the Full Potential of ServiceNow ITSM” (2025), produced with 22nd Century Technologies Inc. These works reflect his focus on applying emerging technologies, automation and artificial intelligence to improve enterprise operations and customer outcomes.
Born in Washington, D.C., Mr. Forsht represents the third generation of a family with a tradition of military service. Both of his grandfathers served in the armed forces, including one who retired following a distinguished military career, while his father also served before pursuing a career in the private sector and civil service. Mr. Forsht continued that tradition through his own Air Force service and later through more than a decade of federal civilian service supporting the Department of Defense.
Outside of his professional responsibilities, Mr. Forsht enjoys traveling with his family. He is married to Vera Nugent and is the father of Anthony Forsht.
Looking ahead, Mr. Forsht intends to continue helping government organizations navigate the convergence of digital transformation, artificial intelligence and the next era of telecommunications and networking. His focus includes advancing the responsible adoption of AI, agentic AI, machine learning and digital twins while developing next-generation networking capabilities such as Network as a Service and secure global mobile communications for warfighters and other mission-critical users.
Through these efforts, Mr. Forsht seeks to help DoD, federal, state and local agencies build more resilient, intelligent and autonomous operations while maintaining his longstanding commitment to a culture of “perfect operations” and exceptional customer experience.
About Marquis Who’s Who®:
Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field of endeavor, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. The suite of Marquis® publications, including Who’s Who in America® and Who’s Who in the World®, remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms around the globe. Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.
# # #
