Lutheran Life Communities

Corporate Director - IT • May 2007 - January 2021

Skills and Abilities

SIGNATURE COMPETENCIES

Information Security

• Disaster Recovery Solutions: Expert in initiating and establishing multiple disaster recovery solutions to ensure business continuity.
• Access Control Systems: Proficient in implementing file-level access control systems to restrict, monitor, and report access, enhancing data security.
• Encryption Standards: Skilled in deploying and maintaining encryption standards across multiple organizations, ensuring strong encryption for data in transit and at rest, including compliance with FIPS 140-2 standards.

IT Project Management

• IT Virtualization: Successfully led the full virtualization of an IT environment with over 95 physical servers, transitioning first to a Cisco UCS with a VNX SAN, and later to a Scale Computing hyper-converged system using VMware, Hyper-V, and proprietary hypervisor software.
• Cloud Conversion: Expertly managed the cloud conversion of a multi-site phone system, including a call center, from on-premises. This project involved replacing all handsets, analog adapters, and implementing new call center software.
• Backup Solution Optimization: Transformed the backup solution from a manual process with external hard drives and a local courier service to a fully redundant, multi-site, fully automated solution. This increased security for backups and reduced costs by approximately 25% per year.

Vendor Management

• Third-Party Support Management: Expertly selected and managed all third-party support partners for information technology, including telecommunications, backup, and print management.
• HIPAA Compliance: As a HIPAA security officer, reviewed Business Associate Agreements (BAA) to ensure compliance with organizational needs, policies, and regulatory requirements.
• MSP Management: Successfully managed Managed Service Providers (MSPs) in multiple environments, including contract negotiation, Service Level Agreements (SLAs), and the creation of playbooks and documentation.

Team Building and Leadership

• Team Development: Successfully hired, coached, and developed multiple highly functional, cross-trained internal teams.
• Training Sponsorship: Personally sponsored team member training materials and certifications, ensuring professional growth even when organizational support was lacking.
• Escalation Management: Consistently served as a point of escalation for customers and team members, providing support and resolution regardless of the matter or time of occurrence.

Cybersecurity

• SIEM Implementation: Successfully implemented multiple Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems, creating rule sets for reporting, alerting, and remediation of threats across various environments.
• Cybersecurity Training: Utilized and implemented various Learning Management Systems (LMS) to educate staff on state-required education, cybersecurity, phishing, security awareness, and DoD requirements, either by creating custom content or using vendor-provided materials.
• Email Security Solutions: Deployed multiple email solutions for scanning, filtering, and protecting end-user emails to prevent infections from phishing or spam. Additionally, created email archives for legal compliance and ensured the proper configuration of DMARC, DKIM, and SPF records.

Cloud Migration Projects

• Voice/Call Center Migration: Successfully migrated voice and call center systems to the cloud, ensuring seamless communication and enhanced customer service.
• Disaster Recovery Solutions: Implemented multiple cloud-based disaster recovery solutions to ensure business continuity and data protection.
• DNS Management: Expertly managed the migration of DNS services to the cloud, enhancing reliability and performance.
• Electronic Health Record (EHR) ERP System: Led the cloud migration of Electronic Health Record ERP systems, improving accessibility and compliance with healthcare regulations.
• Email Migration: Successfully transitioned email systems to the cloud, enhancing security, accessibility, and collaboration.
• Server Infrastructure: Managed the migration of server infrastructure to the cloud, optimizing performance, scalability, and cost-efficiency.

Strategic Planning

• Strategic Technology Planning: Led comprehensive technology planning for $200 million greenfield campus and multiple remodel projects, ensuring seamless integration of advanced systems and infrastructure to support organizational growth and operational efficiency.
• Market Trend Analysis: Utilized market trends and new technology forecasts to plan for new integrations, including one of the first failover DNS solutions before SD-WAN was viable, and designed campuses to support multiple technologies with diverse entry paths for voice and data services.
• Strategic Technology Upgrades: Led the planning and execution of comprehensive technology upgrades, aligning with organizational goals and market trends to enhance performance, scalability, and security.

Budgeting and Forecasting

• Strategic Financial Planning: Developed a three-year plan that increased support staffing levels, enhanced services and functionality, and saved the organization approximately $125,000 annually.
• Long-Term IT Roadmaps: Created multiple three- and five-year information technology roadmaps to address evolving technology needs, including virtualization, cloud adoption, and regulatory and security changes.

Network design and support

• Greenfield Campus Network Design: Successfully accomplished the complete redesign and implementation of a multi-story, multi-building $200 million greenfield campus in Naples, FL.
• Network Segmentation Strategies: Expertly designed and implemented network segmentation strategies to meet regulatory compliance requirements and the organization's information security needs, maintaining distinct networks between trusted and untrusted segments.
• Wi-Fi Network Implementation: Designed and implemented a Wi-Fi network to support a nurse call system, ensuring it met the complexity, redundancy, and signal strength requirements.

Active Directory

• Group Policy Management: Configured and maintained Group Policies to enforce security settings, deploy software, and manage network resources effectively.
• Cross-Platform Audits: Conducted cross-platform audits for Active Directory objects and user permissions, creating processes to ensure accuracy and security.
• Active Directory Administration: Managed Active Directory domains, including creating, modifying, and deleting user accounts, groups, and organizational units (OUs) in on-premise, hybrid, and full cloud environments.

Policy and Procedure (creation and implementation)

• HIPAA Compliance: Created and implemented comprehensive IT department security policies, aligning with HIPAA regulations and NIST SP 800-53 standards.
• CIS Framework: Developed full sets of security policies in accordance with the Center for Internet Security (CIS) version 8 framework.
• NIST SP 800-171 (CMMC) Guidelines: Established and enforced information security policies and procedures aligning with NIST SP 800-171 (CMMC) guidelines.
• PCI DSS Compliance: Implemented information security policies and procedures to meet PCI DSS requirements as defined by the PCI Security Standards Council.

Process Change and Improvement

• Onboarding and Offboarding Processes: Developed and implemented comprehensive onboarding and offboarding processes to ensure new employees are configured with correct access and terminated employees are promptly removed from the system, revoking access to all systems.
• Technology Request Form (TRF): Introduced and implemented the "Technology Request Form" (TRF) to provide a consistent and documented method for staff at any level to request additional resources from IT services. This process included onboarding and offboarding, new technology requests (hardware or software), and rights and privilege changes for users.
• System Imaging Solutions: Implemented multiple system imaging solutions to enhance security by removing unnecessary applications and limiting systems to core applications needed for the organization.

Risk Assessment and Mitigation

• Comprehensive Risk Assessments: Conducted multiple internal risk assessments for HIPAA, CMMC, and PCI, and managed third-party assessors to develop action plans and fully mitigate identified risks.
• Incident Response Leadership: Served as the primary technical contact and led technical remediation for security incidents, acting as a liaison with the FBI, DoD, and Department of the Navy.
• Risk Register Management: Expertly managed risk registers, identifying and communicating risks to the appropriate stakeholders, enabling informed decision-making and optimal outcomes for the organization.