B.A.S., Information Security Systems
Bachelor of Applied Science — the security foundation under everything from Sandia hardening to firewall rule design.
2006 → now · six roles
Twenty years, in order.
Government IT, national defense, a hospital system, a wireless carrier, a rural electric cooperative, and a global logistics network. The through-line is the same in all of them: make the network work, then write down how it works.
2025 — nowAirway Heights, WA
Expeditors International of Washington
Network Engineer · Data Centers Networking Team
Responsible for the design and implementation of a large enterprise network spanning 350 locations and over 19,000 employees. I design and integrate networks for new branches and data centers, and configure, support and troubleshoot the global and local networks.
- Wireless on Cisco WLC and Juniper Mist; wired on Cisco Nexus and HP/Aruba switching.
- New-site network builds from design through cutover, coordinated across regions.
2020 — 2024Hermiston, OR
Umatilla Electric Cooperative
System Administrator
Optimized Windows and Linux servers, administered VMware and Proxmox environments, and implemented Docker for scalable, available application deployment. Monitored and enhanced the network with SolarWinds Orion across routers, switches, firewalls, VPNs and zero-trust networking, and ran security assessments, IP management and VLAN configuration.
- Reduced firewall rules from 1,600 to 400 — simpler to manage, and a materially stronger security posture, achieved by applying industry best practice rather than by deleting what looked unused.
- Pioneered documentation of complex server-room connections across 150 unique points, giving the co-op operational continuity that did not exist before.
- Coached junior staff toward independent operation.
2016 — 2019Albuquerque, NM
The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center
Network Engineer · one of two lead engineers
Co-engineered network solutions for the largest employer in Albuquerque — 7,000+ employees and 30,000+ patients weekly across hospital and academic facilities — overseeing operation and security of 1,000+ devices serving thousands of users across multiple locations.
- Managed a two-day migration of a 12-rack, 100-server data center, minimizing downtime through comprehensive pre-work and resource allocation.
- Spearheaded a cybersecurity initiative to harden IT equipment against dynamic health security standards, strengthening protection of sensitive data.
- Designed Ethernet, VLAN, QoS and converged voice-and-data infrastructure that carried telehealth and televideo services as demand grew.
- Optimized and secured operations on Cisco NX-OS and IOS and Juniper MX, EX, SRX, QFX and Pulse, implementing BGP and DNS configurations for efficient, secure data flow.
- Led task distribution and gave technical guidance to a team of technicians and analysts.
2014 — 2015Albuquerque, NM
Sandia National Laboratories contracted via SAIC
Computer Infrastructure Specialist
Critical support at a Department of Defense contractor known for its role in national security, focused on non-proliferation initiatives and on raising security and documentation standards within nuclear defense operations.
- Safeguarded national security by implementing rigorous hardening processes for IT devices and systems.
- Rebuilt documentation practice from configurations down to hardware specifications — detail required for operational integrity, and large enough to need large-format plotting to review.
- Left the infrastructure better documented, better secured and better maintained than it was on arrival.
2012 — 2013Albuquerque, NM
Cricket Communications
Security Engineer
Led a nationwide project to remediate network vulnerabilities and develop new security policies, engineering and standardizing security measures across network systems.
- Updated 1,200+ Cisco routers in 1.5 weeks against a six-month schedule by reengineering the existing procedure and automating the repetitive parts.
Early careerSanta Fe, NM
New Mexico Department of Information Technology
Network Specialist II
On call around the clock for state networking, network security and fixed wireless, including the critical government entities that depend on them.
- Scored 97% on the Cisco Certified Network Associate examination.
- Handled high-profile government assignments including response at the Governor's Mansion, with commendations from Cabinet Secretaries and District Court Judges.
Education
ITT Technical Institute
B.A.S., Electronics & Communications Engineering Technology
Bachelor of Applied Science — signals and communications engineering, the layer below the protocols.
A.A.S., Computer & Electronics Engineering Technology
Associate of Applied Science — where the hands-on hardware work started.
Technical skills
By category
Operating systemsLinux (RedHat, CentOS, Debian, Ubuntu), FreeBSD and OpenBSD, Windows Server
VirtualizationVMware, Proxmox, Hyper-V, Docker, Kubernetes, Docker Swarm
Routing & switchingBGP, OSPF, MPLS, VLANs, STP, Multicast, QoS, HSRP/VRRP, IP address management
VendorsCisco (NX-OS, IOS, Nexus, WLC, ASA), Juniper (MX, EX, SRX, QFX, Pulse, Mist), HP/Aruba, Palo Alto, Meraki
SecurityZero-trust networking (Cloudflare), Tipping Point IPS, Checkpoint, Juniper RADIUS, Linux iptables, Suricata, CrowdSec, system hardening to DoD compliance
MonitoringSolarWinds Orion, Prometheus, Grafana, Alertmanager, Blackbox Exporter, VictoriaLogs, smokeping, NetFlow / sFlow / SNMP
AutomationBash, Python, Ansible, n8n, scheduled fleet updates over SSH
Data & backupTape backup systems, Backup Exec, DCIM, DDI, IPAM
ProtocolsDNS, CIFS, NFS, NIS, Samba
Practical details
The usual questions
Where and how I work
BasedSpokane, WA — five minutes from an airport, a few hours from Seattle and Portland
Open toRemote, or on-site in Spokane, Walla Walla and the Tri-Cities — I'm looking to move back to Walla Walla
TravelUnder 15%
CompensationSet by the role — local market rate weighed against experience and benefits
On certifications
I've held Cisco and Juniper certifications, and I scored 97% on the CCNA. I've since come to prefer role-specific training over collecting certificates in advance — I tend to certify against the stack a job actually runs, after I'm in the seat and know what matters.
If a certification is a hard requirement for a role, say so early and I'll tell you honestly how quickly I can hold it.