I am a seasoned cybersecurity leader with over two decades of experience safeguarding critical infrastructure in healthcare, telecom, and finance. My expertise lies in designing secure cloud architectures, managing risk, and ensuring compliance with standards like HIPAA and NIST. Beyond the digital realm, my roles as a Wilderness EMT and SCUBA Instructor have honed my adaptability and crisis management skills, enabling me to lead teams effectively under pressure. I am passionate about fostering collaboration, continuous improvement, and empowering teams to excel in dynamic environments.

― Leadership

In my previous roles, I've consistently demonstrated ownership by taking initiative and responsibility for both the strategic and technical aspects of cybersecurity in healthcare. As a senior engineer specializing in cloud architecture and software development, I've led projects to design secure and scalable cloud solutions. This not only involved hands-on development and deployment but also required proactive risk management and adherence to compliance standards, ensuring that every facet of our systems was robust against potential threats.

Beyond the technical, my commitment to ownership extends into my personal life, where I serve as a wilderness EMT and a scuba instructor. These roles demand a high level of personal accountability, decisiveness, and the ability to lead and educate others in high-stakes environments. For instance, as a wilderness EMT, I am responsible for making critical medical and logistical decisions during emergencies, directly impacting the safety and well-being of others. As a scuba instructor, I ensure that safety protocols are strictly followed and that my students are well-prepared to handle the challenges of diving.

It’s through these experiences—on trails, under water, and behind a keyboard—that I’ve come to value steady leadership built on preparation, empathy, and being someone others can count on.

― My background

Throughout my dynamic career, I've embraced various phases, each shaping my approach and work philosophy today. My journey has not only shaped my professional ethos—it has also guided my personal commitments. I became a licensed EMT, and advanced to Wilderness-EMT, to fulfill a deep-seated desire to help others in critical times, blending my problem-solving skills with compassionate care. Passionate about maintaining a healthy work-life balance, I also pursued SCUBA diving, becoming an Open Water Specialty Instructor. These experiences enrich my life and work, enabling me to inspire and lead with resilience and adaptability.

― Skills

Leadership
Communication
Critical thinking
Strategic planning
Risk management
Cost management
Team development

― Work experience

Cloud Architect

T-Mobile / 2018 - 2023

At T-Mobile, I led cloud transformation efforts that reshaped how infrastructure was designed, deployed, and secured. My focus was building out AWS strategies that made our systems more scalable, reliable, and secure—while also keeping an eye on cost and performance.

Beyond the architecture itself, I spent a lot of time with people—building internal training, mentoring teammates, and helping the broader org get comfortable with cloud technologies. Watching the team grow into a security-conscious, cloud-savvy group was just as rewarding as the tech milestones we hit.

This role gave me a chance to bridge deep technical work with long-term strategy, always grounded in the idea that better infrastructure means better business outcomes.

― Education

American InterContinental University

Master's degree, Business Administration / 2004 - 2006

― PERSONAL

Wilderness-Emergency Medical Technician (W-EMT)

Issued Dec 2022 · Expires Mar 2028
Credential ID B-76507

Information System Security Officer

Western Missouri Medical Center  / 2021 - 2025

In this role, I built the foundation for our hospital’s cybersecurity program—drafting policies, setting strategy, and guiding the team that would carry it forward. A big part of the work involved protecting sensitive health systems and data, balancing patient care needs with risk management and HIPAA compliance.

I led efforts to monitor infrastructure, close vulnerabilities, and manage vendor risks—all while shaping a culture where security wasn’t just a checklist, but part of how we think. I also worked closely with the C-suite to align our security posture with broader hospital goals, and partnered with CISA and other federal agencies to strengthen our incident response capabilities and maintain national-level security standards.

"Big"

Big Brothers/Big Sisters / 2021

Senior Operations Manager

NETSCOUT / 2015 - 2018

At NETSCOUT, I helped modernize data center operations by moving toward Infrastructure as Code—using tools like Terraform and Ansible to automate deployments and keep things consistent across the board. It was more than just streamlining; it was about building something reliable, scalable, and secure from the ground up.

I worked closely across departments to make sure our infrastructure supported broader business goals, not just IT ones. Along the way, I mentored a solid team of IT pros—sharing what I knew about automation, agile methods, and operational security. We cut costs, boosted efficiency, and set a new standard for how we approached both systems and collaboration.

Principal Architect

Comcast / 2008 - 2014

In this phase of my career, I was deeply involved in bridging architecture with people—working alongside cross-functional teams to ensure our systems were resilient, forward-thinking, and aligned with the broader goals of the organization.

I led initiatives to elevate architectural standards, improve integration practices, and embed security and scalability into everything we built. Mentoring was a big part of the job—I helped grow the technical strength of our teams, encouraging a culture of curiosity, learning, and continuous improvement. Clear, open communication across departments became just as important as the code or systems we delivered.

These years shaped how I think about infrastructure—not just as something to build, but as something to build with others.

West Texas A&M University

Bachelor's degree, Computer Science / 1998 - 2004

Amarillo College

Associate's degree, Architecture [Machine Design] / 1993 - 1995

Amarillo College

Associate's degree, Architecture / 1992 - 1994

Open Water Specialty SCUBA Instructor

Issued Feb 2024
Pro ID: 108266

Wilderness First Responder

Issued Jul 2024 · Expires Jul 2026
Credential ID: NOLS 24-WMIN-F2-4179

Speaker: Missouri Association of Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons

Physician's Guide to Cyber-Safety and Social Media

Founder: Parental Alienation Support & Education Database

PASEDB: Parental Alienation Support/Education Database is designed to bring awareness to the atrocities of Parental Alienation. Help parents and families find some footing and obtain a basic understanding of Parental Alienation while being stuck in horrific family courts with out of touch, corrupt attorneys and judges. The site is non-profit and all of the software is freely available under the GPL-3 license.

Chief Information Security Officer

Western Missouri Medical Center  / 2025- Present

At WMMC, I lead cybersecurity across both IT and OT environments—protecting everything from patient records to medical devices and facility systems. My role is about aligning security strategy with clinical operations, risk management, and compliance standards like HIPAA, ISO 27001, ISO 27799, NIST 800-53, and NIST 800-66r2.

I’ve helped guide our transition to a Zero Trust model, focusing on access control, visibility, and reducing lateral movement. It’s a mix of strategic planning and hands-on leadership—responding to incidents, enabling our team, and shaping a culture where cybersecurity is everyone's job, not just IT’s. That cultural shift is the work I’m most proud of.

CISA

ICS 101, 201, 202, 300, 301 and Cyberstrike

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