Much of my professional life has unfolded at the intersection of technology, security, education, and institutional trust. Over the years, my work has ranged from hands-on electronics repair and systems administration to classified systems oversight, cybersecurity compliance, vulnerability management, and academic leadership. I have spent more than two decades moving between operational technology environments, defense contracting, and higher education, usually somewhere in the space where technical systems, organizational culture, and public responsibility begin to overlap.
My career began in the United States Army National Guard, though the decision itself was made somewhat abruptly during the second semester of my junior year of high school. At the time, I had started thinking seriously about my future and, if I am being honest, I was not entirely sure I saw much of one. I had been involved in JROTC and asked one of my instructors to bring in a National Guard recruiter after some prior exposure to military life through a former stepfather. What began as a moment of curiosity moved quickly. I took the ASVAB, processed through MEPS within days, and eventually entered the Guard as a Radio and Communications Security (COMSEC) Equipment Repairer. When the recruiter asked what I wanted to do, my answer was fairly straightforward: I wanted to learn a skill that would translate into stable work outside the military.
The work itself involved maintenance and troubleshooting of secure communications and cryptographic systems, electronics diagnostics, and accountability procedures associated with sensitive communications security equipment. In retrospect, that role introduced many of the themes that would later shape much of my professional life: procedural discipline, systems troubleshooting, operational accountability, and the reality that secure systems are rarely maintained by technology alone. During my service, I was awarded the Army Achievement Medal and recognized as Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 142d Signal Brigade Soldier of the Year in 1996.
Like many technology careers that began in the late 1990s and early 2000s, my own path developed less through carefully planned specialization and more through accumulated responsibility. I moved through electronics repair, local IT support, Linux systems administration, enterprise infrastructure work, simulation systems testing, and industrial security management before eventually settling more fully into cybersecurity governance, compliance, and workforce education. One project led to another. A systems migration became a security responsibility. A compliance task became a governance role. Over time, the work gradually shifted from repairing individual systems to helping organizations think more carefully about how systems, policies, risks, and people interact.
Before entering higher education full time, I spent more than two decades working in defense contracting, enterprise IT, industrial security, and cybersecurity compliance environments connected to both government agencies and the Defense Industrial Base. Over the years, I have held roles involving classified systems oversight, Information Systems Security Management, cybersecurity compliance leadership, cyber mission assurance analysis, vulnerability management, and FedRAMP assessment activities. The work has included support connected to organizations such as the Defense Health Agency, Missile Defense Agency, and U.S. Space and Missile Defense Command.
Part of that work involved serving as Corporate Information Systems Security Manager for QinetiQ North America during a period when many defense contractors were still adapting to the growing overlap between traditional industrial security practices and emerging cybersecurity requirements. In that role, I managed classified systems operations for the company’s Huntsville location while also supporting oversight activities involving classified computing environments at other corporate locations throughout the United States. The work involved inspection preparation, remediation efforts, administration of Electronic Communication Plans associated with Foreign Ownership, Control, and Influence (FOCI) requirements, and the broader procedural realities that accompany classified defense operations. Looking back, it was one of the positions that most clearly demonstrated how cybersecurity governance often depends as much on organizational discipline and documentation culture as on technology itself.
Later positions expanded into cyber mission assurance and federal compliance work. At nou Systems, I supported cyber policy activities associated with U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command programs before moving into Information Systems Security Officer responsibilities involving classified systems and eMASS-related RMF activities. I later supported Missile Defense Agency mission assurance and cyber risk analysis efforts, including work connected to the first Ballistic Missile Defense System-wide Cyber Tabletop Exercise. More recently, I served as a Senior FedRAMP assessor and Team Lead supporting federal cloud security assessments and compliance activities. Those roles required a combination of technical familiarity, regulatory knowledge, documentation discipline, and the ability to navigate the practical realities of large organizations operating in high-security environments.
Because of that progression, I have never viewed cybersecurity as purely a technical discipline. My interest has always leaned somewhat toward the institutional and human side of the field: how organizations establish trust, how systems quietly shape behavior, how technological complexity changes decision-making, and how modern institutions struggle to balance efficiency, security, and accountability. Those interests eventually led me into graduate work focused on cyber policy and risk analysis at Utica University, where my capstone research examined incident response and reporting obligations associated with DFARS 252.204-7012. I later completed graduate work in management and project management through Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and am currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership at Arkansas State University. My doctoral research focuses on the role community colleges play in preparing the cybersecurity workforce.
I currently serve as Chair of the Computer Information Systems Department at Calhoun Community College, where I provide leadership for cybersecurity and information technology programs serving students across North Alabama. The work involves far more than simply managing courses or schedules. Much of it centers on helping students bridge the distance between academic familiarity and professional competence. That includes curriculum planning, faculty coordination, workforce partnerships, program assessment, and oversight of the college’s participation in the NSA/DHS Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) program. I remain particularly interested in the role community colleges play in developing the nation’s cybersecurity workforce, especially in regions where technical education often serves as a primary pathway into professional life.
Alongside my professional work, I have remained heavily involved in regional and national cybersecurity organizations. I previously served as President of the Huntsville chapter of InfraGard, a public-private partnership organization affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, where I helped coordinate cybersecurity awareness initiatives and professional programming involving government, defense contractor, and critical infrastructure personnel across North Alabama. I am also a Senior Member of the North Alabama chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), including prior service connected to what eventually became the National Cyber Summit. Beyond cybersecurity organizations, I currently serve on the Calhoun Community College Alumni Association Board and have participated in civic leadership through The American Legion and service on the Selective Service System Local Board for my county.
Outside of professional life, much of my civic involvement has centered on churches, veterans organizations, and Scouting America. I serve as a deacon in my local congregation and help support the technical infrastructure used for worship services, livestreaming, and communications. I have also remained active in Scouting for many years through mentoring, volunteer leadership, and training activities connected to Scouting America. Those experiences have reinforced a conviction that technical expertise, by itself, is not enough to sustain healthy institutions. Competence matters, certainly, but so do patience, stewardship, trust, and a willingness to remain connected to local communities rather than viewing technology as something detached from ordinary life.
I hold certifications including CISSP, Security+, Network+, CySA+, PenTest+, and SecurityX, and I have presented at professional conferences on cybersecurity education, compliance, workforce development, and related issues affecting both industry and higher education. Over the years, my professional and civic work has been recognized through honors including the Army Achievement Medal, a Kentucky Colonel commission, and the 2023 Cyber Huntsville Cybersecurity Academia Leadership Award for contributions to cybersecurity workforce development in North Alabama.
Although cybersecurity has occupied much of my professional career, my broader interests extend into history, institutional culture, education, technology and society, and the ways modern systems quietly influence both public life and personal habits. Those themes continue to shape both my teaching and my writing, and probably explain why I have remained interested not only in how systems function, but in what they gradually encourage people and institutions to become.
My resume is available via LinkedIn.
