From Pentagon to Professional CEO: One Graduate's Remarkable Path

Lake Land doesn’t just educate. It inspires ambition and opens doors to possibilities that might once have seemed out of reach.

In nearly 30 years of instructing at Lake Land, Scott Rhine has met countless students, but few have been anything like Devin Henderson. In the two years he knew him, Scott witnessed in Devin both a rare technological brilliance and a concerning troublemaking habit. By the time Devin graduated from Lake Land, the only conclusion that Scott could draw was that the young man was destined for big things, good or bad. Three years later, Scott assumed all his greatest concerns had come true, when badged U.S. Government Agents visited him to ask questions about Devin.

“I knew Devin had great potential,” Scott said. “The question was, ‘Would he be able to direct it at something useful?’”

As it turned out, the answer to that was “yes.” The agents weren’t looking for a suspect; they were completing a background check on a future employee. At just 22 years old, Devin would accept his first post-collegiate job just outside of Washington, D.C. at the U.S. Pentagon.

The idea of working in the Pentagon would have been unthinkable to Devin just a few years prior. He struggled as a student at Effingham High School as he unknowingly battled ADHD, and his academic future looked bleak. That all changed, however, when his Effingham High School class attended a career fair at Lake Land. There, Devin met Scott Rhine for the first time and became fascinated with the College’s Network Administration program.

Devin enrolled at Lake Land in 2001 and instantly thrived in a hands-on, tech-heavy environment. He earned a near-perfect GPA at Lake Land, and when he later transferred to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, he found himself far ahead of his peers.

“All the students there were just getting the hands-on experience in year three that I just spent the last two years getting at Lake Land,” Devin said.

Beyond helping him excel in the classroom, Devin’s vast hands-on experience would soon make him the perfect candidate for a unique career opportunity. Nearly 800 miles from the SIUC campus, the U.S. Department of Defense was working on a strategic response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack on the Pentagon. They decided to renovate all of the building’s IT communications, and they needed skilled tech workers to complete the project. Enter Devin Henderson.

Shortly after graduating from SIUC, Devin moved to Virginia and began working for a contracted company to upgrade the Pentagon' infrastructure. He jumped right in, setting himself apart with a strong work ethic and rapidly advancing in his career. Within just a few years, he became the Chief Architect for the Air Force side of the Pentagon.

Devin worked at the Pentagon for five years before leaving in 2011. He then created a business called DH Technologies to sell IT solutions to the U.S. government, starting the company with just $200. Within the first year of operations, the company generated more than $1 million in revenue, and today, the company generates nearly $150 million annually. Devin sold DH Technologies and converted it to an employee-owned company in 2024. He still serves as the CEO.

From struggling high school student to successful business owner, Devin redefined his life’s trajectory and created a powerful future for himself – and made a certain former instructor very proud in the process.

“Devin not only directed his talents at something useful, he was very successful in creating a business and livelihood with it,” Scott said. “I’m proud to have had a small part in his success, and I wish him all of the best in the future.”

As for Devin, he considers his experience proof that community college is the perfect tool for students to discover their passions and achieve their dreams.

“I don’t think I would have been nearly as successful, and I would never have had that job at the Pentagon if I didn’t go through the Network Administration program at Lake Land,” Devin said. “Lake Land doesn’t just educate. It inspires ambition and opens doors to possibilities that might once have seemed out of reach.”