Q+A Profile - Data and AI

Question 1.
What are you passionate about?

I’m a naturally curious person who enjoys learning. My passion is understanding things and continuous reinvention to make the world a little bit better every day. The intersection of Data, AI, and business / mission outcomes is full of new opportunities to innovate and reinvent.

Question 2.
What drew you to MANTECH?

After a decade of leading Elder Research as CEO, where I had the opportunity to work closely with a wide range of federal and commercial clients, we were able to join the MANTECH team. MANTECH was by far THE BEST large partner Elder Research worked with in Federal contracting because they clearly live out their values, especially the integrity value, which is rare in my experience.

Question 3.
What do you like most about MANTECH?

The people I’ve met. MANTECH remarkably still has a smaller company feel despite its size.

Question 4.
What is or has been the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?

I’ve worked since I was 13 when my mom had to get a special permit so I could get a job. This has given me the opportunity to have a wide variety of many great jobs. Every one of them has taught me something valuable that has shaped my career. From cutting / raking, bailing, and putting up hay in the summer, to heavy highway construction, to stocking groceries, to working as a department store security guard and Army ROTC during college, to part-time work as a mechanic, to software engineering, to architecting major digital systems, to data science… so many cool things!

Question 5.
What advice do you have for those looking to start a career in Data and AI?

Be curious about the mission or business function you serve. Make sure you understand what success looks like and are clear about drawing a line of sight from the insights you provide to measurable value for the mission or business that results from those insights. To meaningfully use the insights at scale generally means that some of those processes must be reinvented.

Question 6.
What do you wish people understood about Data and AI?

I wish they understood what they don’t understand, especially in the business functions, and would trust Data and AI professionals to help them, even when insights seem counterintuitive. I think about Data and AI professionals as the offensive line on a football team. We’re trying to give the quarterback and receivers more time to connect and the running backs better running lanes to beat the competition.

Question 7.
What’s your favorite place in the world?

Wherever my wife of 42 years happens to be! If I had to choose a specific geographic location, I would say climbing the Cirque of the Towers in the Wind River Mountain range of Wyoming.