Biography

I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication in 1989 and a Master of Arts in Journalism in 1991. In 2015, I returned to higher education and completed an Associate’s degree in Network Security. My professional experience in information technology began with a Security Administrator position at the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, followed by a Help Desk role at American Family Insurance. I currently serve as a Security Analyst II specializing in Testing and Cyber Defense here at UW-Madison.

After determining that long‑term employment opportunities in journalism were limited, I began exploring alternative professional paths in information technology. My interests were initially broad, prompting a systematic comparison of IT programs offered by Madison Area Technical College. Through this analysis, Network Security emerged as the strongest option, narrowly surpassing Web Development. Although this selection required prioritization, I maintained an ongoing interest in software development while focusing academically and professionally on cybersecurity.

One of the most significant academic experiences of my time at MATC was the completion of an Honors Project titled Security for Developers. This project marked the beginning of a sustained scholarly interest in secure software design. During a presentation to a cohort of development students, I demonstrated how secure development practices can mitigate cybercrime. Following this presentation, development instructor Paula Waite encouraged further exploration of the subject, leading to a second Honors Project, The Fortress, which applied secure design principles through practical code implementation.

The convergence of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity has presented a distinct set of challenges, which I have actively embraced. At present, I primarily use AI tools as an advanced research aid and for the refinement of professional communications, including presentations and written correspondence.

Looking forward, my academic and professional objective is to remain current as AI technologies continue to evolve. The role of AI in software development is increasingly evident, particularly in reducing syntactic error rates compared to manual coding. While AI‑generated code frequently contains security vulnerabilities at present, its capacity to identify and learn common weakness patterns suggests significant future potential in secure development processes.

Beyond software development, I anticipate AI will play an expanding role in log analysis, detection of indicators of compromise, and other cybersecurity operations. My overarching goal is to be academically and professionally prepared to effectively integrate these technologies as they mature.

2026 Session

AI and You

2024 Session

Agile beyond software development: Understanding Agile’s versatility

2023 Session

Ethical Hacking – How it Helps IT Security

2022 Session

Development, Security and Operations Working Together for UW Madison

2021 Session

Ransomware – How it Works and How to Stop it (with Live Q&A)

2020 Session

Development and Cybersecurity – Parts of the Same Team