About me

Hello! Thanks for taking the time to read about some of my personal and professional achievements. Born and raised in Woodbridge, Virginia, I enjoyed being close to Washington, DC and the Potomac River. My love of technology began with reading DOS manuals (yes) and continued with installing hardware for my engineering friends at Virginia Tech. I learned that there are 11 kinds of engineers-- those who understand binary, those who can design a screw driver, and those who can use a screwdriver. 

Personally, I am grateful to have found a fantastic person and partner in my wife. Together, we have reared two fantastic children as well as several dogs and cats. Our children are graduates of Hampton City Schools, and I can attest to the wonderful experience of working in the same building where my children are attending school. 

Our children both found UVA as a great fit for their personal and academic goals. As a graduate of the Virginia Polytechnic and State University,  I felt some pangs, but I knew the kids are alright and exactly where they are supposed to be. I am comfortable with my role as a VT grad and UVA Dad.

I enjoyed hardware maintenance in my previous job, and I took on an empty building and created something out of nothing. I took an outdated but existing phone system (Merlin and Merlin II) and made it work properly. Finding manuals back in 2004 was challenging; I made it happen. 

I managed Windows Server, Active Directory, and Cisco ASA to ensure efficient data sharing between two locations. In the days before everyone used cloud storage, this was quite a challenge and one I was happy to meet. Most gratifying was installing a new ASA, as I had not done much programming recently. I had to learn on the fly and made it happen. 

Looking for a better work environment, I moved into education. My parents always instilled in me the importance of education, and a good friend suggested that Hampton City Schools would be a great fit for me to make a real difference for children in the community. I was familiar with HCS as a parent of two students and president of their school's PTA. I was happy to earn the ability to join HCS and work to help our students succeed. Public education is full of challenges, and I like to remember the quotation from Robert F. Kennedy "some see the world as it is and ask 'why?'. I see the world as it could be and ask 'why not?'." I see my work as a chance to overcome challenges and make my community closer to the best it can be. 

One exciting recent endeavor is my participation in the HCS committee on AI, and the opportunity to lead the subcommittee on Best Practices research. I'm grateful to have worked with great people who want to be active leaders, determining the best way for our students and staff to use a technological tool that will revolutionize our daily lives. I look forward to continuing this work with an eye on the best future, not fear of the unknown.