About

From the first day I used a computer, I’ve been hooked on technology, computers, and the software that runs them. Trying new things and exploring everything that computers and technology have to offer is not only my hobby but my passion. It’s incredible to see the things we’ve been able to achieve.

During high school, I started a computer business with a friend. We serviced and built custom computers, as well as sold individual components. We did this for a few years, but eventually, we both made the decision to end our company as we moved on to other areas of interest in our technology careers.

After high school, I spent several years working at a video automation/streaming company where I started as an electronics assembly technician soldering and assembling products, before moving into a technical support role. Technical support required solid troubleshooting and technical understanding, but it also needed the ability to effectively communicate technical information to varying levels of technical knowledge, while having empathy for the customer's situation.

I learned a lot in technical support, and since I was on the front lines troubleshooting and reproducing software bugs, I was increasingly involved in Software Quality Assurance (QA) testing on software. I loved doing Software QA and working with the software developers to develop user-friendly software. As time went on, my technical support duties continued to diminish, and my Software QA responsibilities increased, ultimately becoming my primary role. I enjoyed learning, building cool stuff, and working with a great team, but I made the difficult decision to quit my job and go to school full time to get my engineering degree.

After getting my Electrical Engineering degree from Western Michigan University (WMU), I started my first “official” engineering role at Stryker Medical. I worked in customer quality as a Quality Engineer tracking customer complaints, identifying root causes, and correcting root causes through design and process changes. After working at Stryker as a contractor for about a year and a half, I took a full-time position at a nuclear power plant as an electrical systems engineer.

At the nuclear power plant (Palisades) I was in charge of three systems: radiation monitoring, cathodic protection, and hydrogen monitoring. Additionally, I was the primary instrumentation and controls engineer for everything on the secondary side of the plant (the non-radiated side). As a systems engineer, I was the key contact for any troubleshooting or project needs related to my systems. I had a hand in everything from troubleshooting a reactor refueling machine, to advocating for system projects. I also had the luxury of presenting an industry first reactor protection system relay issue to a group of approximately 50 relay engineers. While at Palisades I was feeling a pull to get into the software + technology, so I took a position at Eaton Corporation as a System Validation Engineer testing embedded software in transmission systems.

At Eaton, my primary responsibility is performing manual testing activities on transmission software by driving vehicles and purposely trying to “break” things and seeing how the transmission system responds. However, I've also been involved in Design Failure Mode and Effect Analysis (DFMEA) reviews, investigating product improvements and deficiencies, writing test cases and presiding over our test truck fleet. My systems team at Eaton is focused on a single product, but we are often tasked with supporting other teams and products within the Eaton vehicle group. The diversity of the people and tasks that we work on are some of my favorite aspects of the role.

In my spare time, I enjoy learning and working with code, going to concerts, music, learning about bourbon, and enjoying quality coffee (especially almond milk lattes). Every year I look forward to visiting a new place (often cities) so I can get a feel for the area (culture) and people. After visiting Portland, OR a few years ago I fell in love with the Pacific Northwest, and wouldn't object to living there someday.