Military Background

After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1975, I went to helicopter pilot training at Fort Rucker, AL.  I had the opportunity to fly H-3 rescue helicopters in Alaska and New Mexico. In 1981, I transitioned to fixed wing aircraft and flew as a primary jet instructor pilot at Columbus AFB, MS.

During my staff tour at Scott AFB, outside of St Louis, I transitioned from flying to communications/IT roles.  While stationed at Gunter AFB in Montgomery AL, I led the team responsible for deploying the Air Force portion of the Department of Defense Intranet from 1989-1992.  From 1992-1995, while commander at the 550 person communications unit at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, our unit took the base from being a technological backwater to the leading technology base in the Pacific.

IT Experience

My first personal computer was a 1983 Kaypro running the CP/M operating system.  In addition to my 10 years of work in the military IT positions, I worked for Cisco systems for 8 years after leaving the Air Force in 1996.  I served in a variety of engineering and operations leadership roles in the DoD federal sales area.  Since leaving Cisco, I have had the opportunity to work in a variety of positions ranging from CTO of a small IT services firm to working as an executive coach.

Family

I have been married to my wife, Alice, for almost 36 years.  We have two children and three grandchildren and currently live in Birmingham, AL.