Professional Summary

I’m an IT generalist who enjoys building and maintaining computer systems. I worked my way up through the IT department at Utah Valley University, starting as a lab technician and eventually managing servers for the Smith College of Engineering & Technology. My background as a founding engineer and journalist has made me a persistent problem solver. I'm just as comfortable digging into a complex server error as I am investigating the real-world problems that technology sometimes fails to solve. After taking time off to travel, I have permanently relocated to Denver and am looking to build a long term career and roots here in Colorado.

Professional Experience

Journalist

UVU Review | Orem, Utah | Aug 2024 - Apr 2025 (9 months)

Interviewed, researched and wrote articles for UVU's student newspaper for a scholarship. Occasionally helped with photography, video and podcast production.

Founding Engineer

Skillco | Utah, United States | Mar 2022 - Apr 2024 (2 yrs 2 mos)

Led the technical implementation for an education technology startup. Used Python Django to build a web suite of tools to increase student retention. Pioneered a data pipeline that converted nested degree requirements from PDFs into standardized JSON, powering dynamic degree progress visualizations. Led security compliance initiatives, including full completion of HECVAT Lite and technical preparation for SOC 2 Type II.

Utah Valley University IT (Multiple Roles)

Utah Valley University | Orem, Utah | Mar 2021 - Sep 2023 (2 yrs 7 mos)

  • System Administrator (Aug 2022 - Sep 2023): Administered license servers for the School of Engineering and Technology. Also helped with Active Directory, PHP and Linux troubleshooting.
  • System Specialist (Nov 2021 - May 2022): Processed DUO 2FA and MECM group access tickets for the IT Security department.
  • Support Technician (Mar 2021 - Nov 2021): Tier 1 tech support for professors and monitored/closed computer labs at night. Obtained airport badge access to provide on-site IT support at the Aviation campus as needed.

Computer Contracting

Jackson Computing (Self-employed) | Remote | Aug 2019 - Jan 2021 (1 yr 5 mos)

Remote contractor specializing in WordPress SEO optimization and data quality assurance for web scraping projects. Clients included TazWorks, Ekiwi, and the Mountain West Parkinson Initiative.

Search Engine Optimization Intern

TazWorks LLC | Draper, Utah | May 2019 - Aug 2019 (4 mos)

Summer internship helping the marketing team improve a WordPress website. Focused on SEO and web scraping in Python with BS4.

Education

Integrated Studies in Computer Science and Information Systems & Technology, B.S.

Utah Valley University | Orem, Utah | Graduated 2025

Activities: Cyber Security Competitions, OSINT Lab volunteer and LEAD program