I turn complex problems into simple solutions.
I am a driven Solutions Architect & Computer Systems Engineer based out of Little Rock, AR, with a passion for providing high quality IT solutions.
Using modern methodologies, I write success stories for a variety of audiences; for the business, for processes, and for the people who make it all feasible.
AWS Solutions Architect - Professional
CKA - Certified Kubernetes Administrator
Terraform Authoring & Operations Professional
AWS SysOps Administrator - Associate
AWS Developer - Associate
AWS Solutions Architect - Associate
Red Hat Certified System Administrator
AWS Cloud Practitioner
BigFix Lifecycle v9.5 Administrator
Create optimized designs, balancing functional requirements with cost-effective, scalable, resilient, and performant architectures.
Instrument, observe, and react to the known and unknown, with a keen understanding of KPIs, SLAs, event management and incident response.
Provide rapid software releases with ease via deployment pipelines built using modern integration paradigms, tooling, and frameworks.
Use purpose built AWS cloud services to minimize costs & operational overhead while bringing elasticity to sustain peak demands.
Deploy, administer, and troubleshoot systems, networks, and storage devices where they're installed and running - all via the command line.
Create repeatable, self-documented deployments via declarative coding frameworks like Ansible, Terraform, and CloudFormation.
Secure systems, services, networks, and data through protocols and practices of least privilege, encryption, patching, vaults and logs.
Design software, apps, and automations using robust object-oriented languages supporting a slew of SDKs and modern development frameworks.
Package, build and deploy small, easily maintained microservice architectures in robust orchestrated cluster environments.
Integrate 3rd party software into enterprise operations and workflows, enabling staff/engineers to get more done, quicker.
Evaluate opportunities to optimize costs via evaluation of licensing, re-platforming, rehosting, or refactoring solutions.
Create, modify, and learn with the use of LLMs and generative AI, allowing ideas to come to fruition more rapidly than ever.
Download my full Resume at the links below
2001 - now
Designed first web sites (WYSIWYG) at age 11, and pivoted to learning HTML and CSS. Tinkered with CMD, C++, Java, Linux/Bash, Cmd, and tools like Adobe Dreamweaver/Photoshop - and continue to tinker today, event as we speak (or, well, read).
2009 - 2014
Dove in head first: Calculus, Linear Algebra, Chemistry, Physics, Circuit Theory, Advanced Digital Design, Advanced Computer Architecture, Networking, Operating Systems, Software Engineering and OOP, Microprocessors, Probability, Discrete Systems Simulation, Optimization Methods, Decision and Risk Analysis, and the 2015 Outstanding Capstone that received a provisional patent funded by UALR TechLaunch.
2012 - 2014
Fun stuff tacked on the side: Internet Technologies and Web Development with HTML and CSS, Object Oriented Programming with C++, Data Structures and Algorithms, Database Concepts with SQL (RDBMS), and a Mobile Responsive Application project.
2010 - 2015
Co-founded freelance business providing small-scale clients web design and IT consulting solutions. Executed contracts and performed domain registration, hosting, and development at competitive rates with top tier white glove support.
2013 - 2021
Transitioned from intern to Infrastructure Systems Engineer, supporting 1000s of Unix, Linux, Networking, and Storage solutions, services, and automations. Designed highly available & recoverable systems on both bare-metal and highly virtualized environments, spanning across multiple traditional datacenters.
2021 - now
Provide state-of-the-art architecture designs based on modern, best practice design patterns and promote site reliability via resilient configurations, practices, monitoring, alerting, and proactive planning. Serve as Tier 1 escalation point for Cloud based production environments hosting classic, microservice, and event-driven workloads and data sets.
Unix / Linux
Ansible
Python
Prometheus + Grafana
Docker / Kubernetes
AWS Cloud
Terraform
Node / Javascript
Zabbix
Solutions Design
I am a detail oriented solutions architect, automation engineer, systems engineer, and site reliability specialist. I have a deeply honed set of skills related to large-scale system design, deployment, and maintenance, with a strong emphasis on automation and reliability. My expertise spans across traditional IT (Bare metal, virtualization), cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure), containerization technologies (Docker, Kubernetes), configuration management (Terraform, Ansible, CloudFormation), monitoring & observability (Zabbix, Prometheus, Grafana, New Relic, PagerDuty), CI/CD pipelines (Jenkins, CodePipeline, GitHub Actions) and coding, scripting, and automation (Bash, Python, Node).
I excel in architecting resilient and scalable systems that efficiently handle high traffic and data volumes, ensuring high availability and disaster recovery capabilities. My approach to solutions architecture involves a deep analysis of business requirements, leading to the implementation of cost-effective and scalable solutions. I am adept at leading cross-functional teams through complex deployments, fostering collaboration between developers, operations, and business stakeholders to achieve strategic goals.
My technical proficiency is complemented by strong problem-solving skills, enabling me to swiftly diagnose and rectify issues in high-pressure environments, minimizing downtime and ensuring seamless operations. I am committed to adopting and promoting best practices in site reliability, including comprehensive monitoring, logging, and alerting strategies that proactively address potential issues before they impact users.
As an automation engineer, I have automated numerous routine tasks, reducing manual overhead, minimizing errors, and increasing efficiency. My work in systems engineering has provided me with a solid foundation in network architecture, security principles, and performance optimization. My background in computer programming allows me to decipher and approach problems in pragmatic ways.
Continuously staying abreast of the latest technologies and methodologies, I am passionate about leveraging automation and DevOps principles to drive improvements in software delivery and infrastructure management. My goal is to create robust, secure, and adaptive systems that align with evolving business needs and technological landscapes.
I have a profound belief that at the heart of every line of code, every server deployed, and every system architected lies the ultimate goal: to make life easier, work more productive, and to help people achieve their dreams. Technology, in all its complexity, is at its most beautiful when it serves humanity.