I live in Chattanooga, Tennessee. I’m currently a Senior IT Infrastructure Engineer for EnterpriseDB, where I’ve worked for over 4 years. Prior to that, I was a Systems and Cybersecurity Engineer for EPB, the nation’s first ISP to provide 1Gbps (and now, 10Gbps) to the home.
I’m the founder of Barred Owl Web, where we provide fully managed Virtual Private Servers, Managed WordPress hosting, server colocation, and website development services.
I’m an Amateur Radio (ham radio) operator. My call sign is N4DWY and you can visit my QRZ page here. As mentioned on that page, I passed both the Technician as well as the General exams in October 2024 at the Chattanooga Hamfest.
In the spring of 2025, I took the SKYWARN training provided by our local NWS office and received a spotter number. Also in July 2025, I bought my first HF rig, an IC-7300, passed the Amateur Extra exam, and changed my call sign to what it is currently. In addition to Skywarn, I’m on the local ARES roster and am ready to volunteer if there is ever a need for emergency communications in my area.
I went to Covenant College. In one of my classes,”Living and Working in a Multi-Cultural Context,” I enjoyed learning about the different types of cultures in the world, and how people communicate. I try to avoid terms such as “serving” or “ministering to” because I believe that these notions build a wrong attitude in the person doing development work. It really isn’t about me and my ideas. Instead, community development must be about building healthy relationships.
Bryant Myers writes in his book, Walking With the Poor, “Poverty is a result of relationships that do not work, that are not just, that are not for life, that are not harmonious or enjoyable. Poverty is the absence of shalom in all its meanings.”
One of my favorite quotes is by Duane Elmer, in his book Cross-Cultural Conflict: Building Relationships for Effective Ministry: “Love is culturally defined. When we truly love others, we love them in their own context, in keeping with the way they define love. We can’t express love in a vacuum. It can be expressed egocentrically (my way) or sociocentrically (as the other person would define love).“