Hello! It’s so nice to meet you!! You’re probably wondering a bit about who I am, so let me tell you a little about myself.
I attended Ball State University (alma mater of Dave Letterman) and graduated in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a minor in Astrophysics. The computer industry sure has changed an awful lot since the mid 80’s! In 2001, I returned to school and completed a Master of Science degree in Computer Information Systems (somewhat like an MBA for computers) in 2004.
I have almost 40 years of experience in systems design, databases and architecture. For 20 years I worked in the manufacturing, warehouse and distribution industries on some pretty cool projects. In 2006 I moved into the healthcare space and never looked back. I enjoyed it so much that I earned an additional Master of Science degree in Health Informatics in 2013. My primary focus has been in Clinical Quality Measures and a specialty in performance architecture and tuning for extremely large data sets. It means so much to me that my work is helping to save lives!
I have been quite active in the SQL Server community since 2006. I previously served as the chapter leader of the local group of PASS (Professional Association for SQL Server) in Indianapolis (IndyPASS) from mid 2016 to the end of 2017. I began to give presentations to IndyPASS in early 2012 with my first SQL Saturday presentation later the same year. I presented a total of almost 40 times for PASS local groups and SQL Saturday sessions in cities across the country (see My Presentations). I also had the privilege of presenting at the 2017 PASS Summit conference. I travel across the country in an RV giving these presentations with my wife and pets as traveling companions (hence the moniker SQLRV).
I have created rather unique solutions to some very complex problems. Not just satisfied with merely solving the problem of the moment, I plan ahead for the long term needs of the project. Many of the projects I created still exist in one form or another. I feel my greatest achievement was a Clinical Quality Measure calculation engine. It allowed new measures to be created as well as existing ones modified, all without writing any programming code! Visit My Experience for more information. You can also view the badges that I have earned!
I have two great sons from my previous marriage and I’m currently married to an outstanding woman who keeps me challenged and on my toes. Her name is Tonya and she has three wonderful children from her previous marriage. I’m proud to say that between our two sets of kids that we have 12 grandchildren that I’m always very happy to see as often as possible! My wife and I are also active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Through our involvement in church, we have learned many important lessons — many of which I’ve been able to apply directly to my career.
Although I traveled around a bit in my life, I spent most of it in Indiana. I lived in Muncie, Fort Wayne, Hartford City, Elwood, Indianapolis, and Martinsville. I moved to North Augusta, South Carolina (just across the river from Augusta Georgia) in November 2017. I accepted an opportunity to work for the Church for a 1-year stint during 2019 and we lived in the RV while in Salt Lake City, UT. In 2020 I began working for as an Enterprise Data Architect at Healthfirst, so we took the RV to the Orlando, FL area for the first 6 months until we bought a home in Orange City, FL (just north of Orlando). In April 2022, while still at Healthfirst, we sold that home and moved to Cedar City, UT.
You can also get more information about me on LinkedIn or Stack Exchange.