Professional Statement

I am an IT professional with experience spanning since the 1990s, supporting, administering, and securing technology environments, currently pursuing an Associate of Applied Science in Cybersecurity and Network Systems at Hocking College. My background includes network infrastructure, systems administration, identity and access management, and cybersecurity fundamentals. Through decades of professional experience and continued academic study, I have developed a practical understanding of how to build, maintain, and improve secure systems.

I am naturally curious and motivated to learn. I enjoy exploring new technologies, troubleshooting complex problems, and expanding my cybersecurity knowledge. This drive has led me to pursue formal education alongside independent learning while applying new concepts in real-world environments.

One of my most impactful roles was serving as an IT Coordinator for a worker-owned organization, where I designed, installed, and maintained network infrastructure, including structured cabling, switch configuration, and implementation of WLANs, VLANs, VPNs using OpenVPN, and firewall solutions based on pfSense. I also supported remote office connectivity using Tomato firmware-based router configurations to improve reliability and enable secure site-to-site access.

I implemented network and device monitoring using SNMP and Nagios, enabling proactive performance monitoring, alerting, troubleshooting, and visibility across critical systems. I also deployed and maintained a centralized backup system using Bacula, strengthening data protection, recovery capabilities, and overall infrastructure resilience. I maintained PCI compliance for payment processing systems, ensuring adherence to security standards and supporting secure handling of sensitive financial data. These systems supported analysis of utilization trends, device health, and capacity metrics, informing long-term infrastructure planning, hardware lifecycle management, and annual budgeting decisions.

I led a migration from a Windows environment to Linux-based systems, improving security, reliability, and operational efficiency while significantly reducing software licensing costs through the adoption of open-source technologies. As part of this migration, I implemented Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP) infrastructure to centralize desktop management, along with X2Go-based remote access to support secure off-site and remote work capabilities.

I implemented centralized identity management using OpenLDAP and Single Sign-On (SSO), including OAuth-based authentication integration for Google services, enforcing least-privilege access controls across multiple platforms. In addition, I deployed and managed GNU Mailman mailing list systems to support structured internal and external communication across teams and customers.

I designed and managed the organization’s WordPress website, supporting both e-commerce functionality and event promotion, ensuring reliable public-facing communication and content delivery.

Career Objectives

I am seeking opportunities in cybersecurity, security operations, network defense, cloud security, or IT analysis where I can continue developing my skills while contributing to organizational security goals.

Areas of Particular Interest

• Security Operations (SOC)
• Network Defense and Monitoring
• Cloud Security
• Identity and Access Management (IAM)
• Infrastructure Security
• Vulnerability Assessment and Risk Management

With a combination of long-term hands-on experience, technical knowledge, curiosity, and a commitment to continuous learning, I am eager to contribute to a team while continuing to grow as a cybersecurity professional. I enjoy learning new technologies, understanding how systems work, and finding practical solutions to technical challenges.