Bio and Interests
Even though my professional life has morphed significantly over the years, it has always revolved around programming and technology. Starting at age 12, I fell hard for computing and had a Commodore 64 the first year it came out. I learned to code mainly because there wasn't much you could do with a C-64 unless you wrote code, at least until I got involved with local user groups and began trading software. Before I could afford the C-64's floppy disk drive, I even wrote my own TOS (tape operating system) to better manage all my programs using the 1530 cassette tape storage drive. My wife thinks of me as her own taller version of Matthew Broderick from WarGames.
I spent almost two decades working as a software engineer and architect, product designer, technology executive, and entrepreneur. I worked for Microsoft as a principal technology specialist, where I architected numerous large technology implementations for Honeywell, Intel, American Express, and the University of Phoenix. I was also a research and development manager at Nationwide Insurance and founded my own commercial software company. I have experience in commercial software design and development, database systems, project management, and technology strategy. I also taught C++, Windows, and Visual Basic programming as an adjunct professor for several years.
After helping design technologies that were integral to addressing key scalability challenges during the rise of the Internet, I became interested in the impact technological advances have on law, policy, legal automation, human rights, and access to justice. I spent several years practicing as an intellectual property, patent, and technology law attorney focusing on innovative technologies in software and computer engineering, cybersecurity, data privacy, algorithm law, and other cutting-edge issues.
RESEARCH: I pursue a number of technical interests in Robotics, Blockchain, and other areas as a Principal Researcher at Labyrinth Research. I have received several U.S. Patents related to my work.
BLOCKCHAIN INITIATIVE: In 2017, I cofounded Privaceum, which was born out of my research and design of a unified privacy framework. Backed by patented technologies, Privaceum is a privacy trust platform that aligns device behaviors with individualized privacy expectations. By using the blockchain, our vision is to standardize the delivery and processing of privacy preferences, mediate conflicts between groups and individuals based on contextual norms, and monitor device privacy observance without reducing the usefulness of these devices for their intended purposes.
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATIONS: I have a J.D. from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law, a Bachelor's in Philosophy and Computer Science, and an M.B.A. in Technology Management. I am a member of the Florida Bar and I am a Registered Patent Attorney with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. I am also a Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) and a Consensys Certified Blockchain Developer.