About Me

Software development is my passion.  I always enjoyed science, math, and technical things as a kid, but I didn't get into programming until I discovered that I could leverage the Net to disseminate my photography work.  I started creating Web sites to share my photographic work, and found that I enjoyed programming HTML more than snapping pictures and Photoshoping images.  I got a few gigs creating sites for others, and took a course in VB 6 programming at community college.  After that, I was hooked.  There was only one problem -- the dotcom bubble was bursting and there was no work for uneducated, inexperienced novices.  So, I switched majors, and got my undergraduate degree in computer science from PSU.

After getting my bachelors degree, I went to work for Thomson Grass Valley.  There, I worked as a systems engineer and a lead developer.  During my tenure I worked on three programs primarily: NetCentral, a Network Management System (NMS); ContentShare, a Digital Asset Managment (DAM) product; and SabreTooth, a software license server.

I left Grass Valley in 2008 to work for CheckFree (which is apart of Fiserv).  Since joining, I've been working on their next generation on-line banking product, Online Advantage.  It's an exciting project that uses a Service-Oriented Architecture and is implemented using modern Windows-based technologies.  The team is following a very progressive, agile methodology.  We all sit together in a team room and write code together all day.  It's a blast and I enjoy it a lot.

I'm also studying to get my MBA from George Fox, which I will complete at the end of 2010.  I've decided to get a graduate degree in business because I am hoping to start my own company one day.  Obviously, being a good engineer isn't enough (or even necessary) to successfully run a company, so a formal education seems like a prerequisite.  After completing this degree, I'll try to get some management experience at CheckFree (or wherever), and then venture out on my own.

In addition to being an engineer and aspiring entrepreneur, I'm also a husband and father.  My wife, Sara, has a great blog and can teach you all about SOA and cloud computing.  She can also dazzle you with her mad artistic abilities, baking skills, and delightful personality.  We have one child, Caleb, who is just learning to crawl.



I'm also a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, and a member of Celebration Christian Church.  When I was in my early twenties, I joined a Christian missionary training organization called Youth with a Mission (YWAM) and studied at one of their schools in England where I lived for the better part of two years.  During that time, I also traveled to India and throughout Europe.