~/root
role: ai_infra_engineer
"I use tools to create tools to solve everyday problems so that we can all go home on time."
I use AI and automation to build operator-facing tooling for infrastructure problems — remediation, compliance, repeatable workflows. The kind of work that usually lives in a shared doc nobody updates — I turn it into something you can actually run, audit, and hand off.
open_to_work: true
documentation: current
prod_validated: partial
~/home
// background
father
husband
veteran
chill guy
I grew up in rural eastern Ohio — three stoplights in the whole county type of place — joined the Air Force, and was stationed at Hurlburt Field in Florida. I worked on AC-130 gunships, MC-130 Talon IIs, and MH-53 Pave Low helicopters across multiple deployments. When my service was up, I settled in Middle Tennessee, where I live now with my wife and daughter.
// outside the terminal
retro gaming
old hardware
jeep trails
drums
tabletop
rpg's
sci-fi
live comedy
concerts
cooking
When I'm not in a terminal, you'll find me crawling down trails in my Jeep — or most likely working on it because it's broken again — behind a drum kit I've been playing since fifth grade, or deep in a retro gaming rabbit hole. Part of that is nostalgia, part of it is finally being able to own all the things I couldn't growing up. I collect old hardware for the same reason: there's history in it.
When the WiFi goes down on purpose, I'm into tabletop games and RPGs, sci-fi, live comedy, concerts, and music festivals. I cook. I'm usually learning something new just because it's interesting.
~/lib
Accumulated dependencies. This is the full reference — experience, skills, certifications, education. Read it like a man page. Download if you need something to hand off.
"I've automated a lot of things. None of them were things I enjoyed doing manually."
AI-augmented infrastructure engineer with 16+ years of experience designing, operating, and automating enterprise-scale systems. Applies artificial intelligence, agentic workflows, and modern DevOps practices to build tooling that solves real infrastructure problems. Proven operator at VMware scale with deep expertise in Dell EMC storage, compliance frameworks (NIST 800-53, HIPAA, PCI-DSS, SOC 2), and systems automation via Ansible and PowerShell.
// professional_experience
Independent Software Development & R&D
Dec 2024 – Present
- Designed and built a portfolio of open-source infrastructure, security, and compliance tooling
- Applied agentic AI and advanced prompt engineering using Claude, OpenAI, Gemini, and Ollama as engineering force multipliers
- Built AI governance and auditability framework for accountable, traceable AI-assisted development
- Implemented CI/CD pipelines via GitHub Actions; applied DevOps-first discipline across all projects
- Pursuing Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) certification
Experian Health
Systems Engineer · Dec 2016 – Nov 2024 · Remote / Nashville, TN
- Scaled VMware vSphere/ESXi infrastructure to 10,000+ virtual machines across 500+ ESXi hosts and 400+ physical servers
- Automated patching, configuration management, and compliance auditing via PowerShell and Ansible Automation Platform
- Managed Dell EMC storage platforms: Isilon, PowerFlex, Data Domain, ECS, and ExaGrid
- Enforced HIPAA, PCI-DSS, and NIST 800-53 compliance through internal audits, documentation, and staff training
- Designed disaster recovery runbooks and conducted regular DR tests to validate business continuity posture
- Deployed Nutanix HCI; administered Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and GPO at enterprise scale
- Hardened Windows Server and Linux environments; mentored junior engineers
City of Franklin — Network Analyst / ISO
Aug 2014 – Oct 2016 · Franklin, TN
- Led deployment of MBAM, Veeam, and Office 365 with security and compliance configurations
- Rewrote Group Policy infrastructure for consistent workstation and server security posture
- Administered DNS, ExaGrid storage, and managed legal PST exports for eDiscovery
- Trained staff and served as interim support lead during team shortages
City of Franklin — Network Technician
Oct 2012 – Aug 2014 · Franklin, TN
- Maintained Active Directory, DNS, DHCP, and file services across Windows Server environments
- Executed KACE/WSUS patching cycles; managed workstation imaging with Symantec Ghost
- Supported Cisco routing, switching, and VPN solutions including NetMotion and AnyConnect
Comcast
Communications Technician III · Feb 2008 – Aug 2010 · Nashville, TN
- Delivered residential and commercial video, internet, and VoIP installation and service
- Trained and certified new field technicians in technical procedures and service standards
United States Air Force
Electronic Warfare Craftsman · Jul 2000 – Jul 2006 · Hurlburt Field, FL
- Supervised 15-person avionics maintenance team ensuring mission-critical systems readiness
- Authored annual performance reports; delivered mentorship and leadership training to personnel
- Completed Airman Leadership School — 5-week NCO professional military education
// technical_skills
AI & Automation
LLMs
Prompt Eng.
Agentic AI
Claude
OpenAI
Gemini
Ollama
Ansible AAP
Terraform
IaC
PowerShell
Python
Bash
GitHub Actions
CI/CD
Infrastructure
VMware vSphere/ESXi
Nutanix HCI
Proxmox
Docker (lab)
Kubernetes (lab)
Windows Server
RHEL/Linux
Storage & Backup
Dell EMC Isilon
PowerFlex
Data Domain
ECS
ExaGrid
Disaster Recovery
Business Continuity
Networking
Cisco Nexus
Arista BCF
SDN
NetMotion
AnyConnect
Security & Compliance
NIST 800-53
HIPAA
PCI-DSS
SOC 2
CMMC
ISO 27001
CIS Benchmarks
DISA STIG
System Hardening
Cloud & Identity
Microsoft Azure
Office 365
Active Directory
DNS
DHCP
Group Policy
// certifications
Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) — in progress
Red Hat Certified Specialist in Ansible Automation — training completed, 2018
CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP+) — training completed, 2014
Implementing Cisco Network Security (IINS) — New Horizons — training completed, 2014
PowerShell for Systems Administration — New Horizons — training completed, 2016
VMware vSphere: Fast Track v5.1 (VCP5-DCV) — New Horizons — training completed, 2013
Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) — EC-Council — formerly certified, 2017;40hr New Horizons training completed, 2015
Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) — EC-Council — formerly certified, 2017
// education
M.S. Information Security and Assurance
Western Governors University · 2016 – 2018
Thesis: Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Program for a B2B Government Contractor — grounded in NIST 800-53 controls
B.A.S. Information Systems and Cyber Security
ITT Technical Institute · 2012 – 2014 · 4.0 GPA · Valedictorian
A.A.S. Computer Networking Systems
ITT Technical Institute · 2010 – 2012 · 4.0 GPA · Valedictorian
Airman Leadership School
United States Air Force · 5 weeks / 24 duty days
NCO professional military education — leadership, supervision, communication, and group dynamics
Electronic Warfare & Avionics Technical School
United States Air Force · ~1,600 combined instruction hours
~/usr
Everything here is presented conservatively. Where a tool has strong unit coverage but limited production validation, the page says so directly. Honest statements are part of my communication style, not a disclaimer.
"My best ideas all started with 'why am I still doing this?'"
// infrastructure_tooling
featuredpythoninfrastructure
v0.2.0prod_validated: partial
FailWarden Orchestrator
A constrained YAML runbook executor for infrastructure remediation over SSH. Compile-time validation, audit logging, notifier support, dry-run mode, and included runbooks. It doesn't try to be Ansible — it tries to be the thing you hand to an operator at 2am.
- current release: v0.2.0
- V1 and V1.5 implemented
- strong unit and controlled local integration coverage
- not yet validated against live production infrastructure
pythonpowershellwinrmcompliance
YMC
Agentless Windows compliance scanner over WinRM. Framework-mapped checks, audit-ready output. No agent install required.
powershellwpfwindows
Loadout
Portable PowerShell + WPF workstation setup tool. Because manually rebuilding your toolchain on a fresh box is a crime against your own time.
pythonnetworkingcli
ReadyCheck
Connectivity validation CLI comparing observed network behavior against declared intent and emits review artifacts.
proxmoxansibleautomationlab
My Lab Setup
Sanitized Proxmox + Ansible lab automation — provisioning phases, guest baselining, and clone workflows. Where I actually break things first.
// ai_engineering_discipline
methodology
accountability
auditable
ai governance
project-prompts
AI is a force multiplier — but only if you can trust what it produced and reproduce how it got there. A structured library of project-scoped prompt engineering guidelines that standardize how AI is directed, reviewed, and constrained across engagements.
- Project-scoped guidelines that constrain AI behavior to the context and goals of each engagement
- Standardizes how AI tools are directed, what they're allowed to decide independently, and what requires human review
- Paired with session logging to maintain a full audit trail from requirement through implementation
- Treats AI tooling the same way good engineering treats any external dependency: version it, document it, own it
~/etc
"If your process was automated you would have more time to contact me."