Arbiter combines executive-level federal program leadership with hands-on cybersecurity and compliance execution—bridging strategy and outcomes.
ABOUT
Arbiter Performance Group was founded on a simple premise: organizations should not have to choose between strategic leadership and execution accountability. We enter complex, high-stakes environments — federal agencies, defense programs, and regulated enterprises — and deliver outcomes others could not.
Our work is grounded in a structured approach to organizational transformation refined across 25 years of federal and commercial engagements. We assess what is real versus what was reported, build what the program actually needs, and transfer the capability so the organization does not need us to come back. Program recovery. Governance redesign. M&A integration. Cloud delivery. The domain changes. The outcome does not.
Arbiter operates with direct leadership accountability on every engagement — not a hand-off to junior staff. We leverage a trusted network of senior advisors and technical specialists as needed, but principal-level oversight is constant. When the margin for error is zero, that distinction matters.
LEADERSHIP
Milton “Buddy” Fleshman Jr.
Founder and CEO
Buddy Fleshman is a U.S. Army veteran with 25+ years of experience entering organizations, diagnosing what is actually broken, and leaving them structurally better than he found them. He founded Arbiter Performance Group to bring that same disciplined approach to federal and commercial clients who cannot afford program failure. His career spans military operations, DA Civilian service, and senior GovCon program leadership across DoD, federal law enforcement, and enterprise IT — with an active security clearance maintained continuously throughout.
Selected Credentials:
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Master's degree in Management & Organizational Leadership
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Bachelor's degree in Information Technology Management
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Project Management Professional (PMP)
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SAFe 6 Scrum Master (SSM)
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ITIL 4 Foundation
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Zscaler Technical Associate (ZTA)
- MVP Award — recognized for sustained leadership impact across a 2,000+ employee Inc. 5000 organization
EXPERIENCE & CREDENTIALS
The expertise behind Arbiter's work reflects 25+ years of prior professional experience entering complex federal and commercial environments and delivering outcomes that held. The engagements below represent the foundation — each one a different domain, each one the same result.
Federal Program Recovery | Federal Defense Program — Assumed mid-contract ownership of an IL5 GovCloud migration in crisis. Delivered zero downtime across 18 months for 3,000+ users and 1.4M active records. Absorbed a $500K mid-execution funding cut with no schedule slip.
Governance Redesign | Federal Law Enforcement Agency — Inherited a 43-system compliance program on a perpetual ATO treadmill. Redesigned the entire structure. Achieved 3-year authorization across 38 of 43 systems. Improved on-time remediation delivery from 72% to 94%.
M&A Integration | Federal IT Services Firm — Led post-acquisition integration across three organizations generating $333M in annual revenue. Built the governance framework that aligned IT, HR, and operations three months ahead of schedule. Reduced redundant workflows by 35%.
Military Service — U.S. Army — Operations management and leadership roles across installation-level programs and mission-critical functions. Deployed in support of OEF/OIF. Retired after distinguished service.