I break into things for a living.
More specifically, I’ve spent the last decade finding out how organizations fail at security and helping them do something about it. The technical work is interesting, but what keeps me in it is the harder question underneath: how people build trust in systems, where that trust breaks down, and what it costs when it does.
Outside of work I shoot film (opens in new tab), ride motorcycles, and read a lot of philosophy.
Expertise
- Red team operations and penetration testing
- Purple team exercises and defense strengthening
- Enterprise security strategy and program management
- Technical team and practice leadership
- Customer relationship and account management
Experience
I started at a helpdesk and worked my way through sysadmin work, pentesting, and red teaming before starting Empiric Security (opens in new tab) in 2024.
| 2024 - present | Owner, Empiric Security |
| 2023 - 2024 | Red Team, Bishop Fox |
| 2019 - 2023 | Penetration Testing Practice Lead, risk3sixty |
| 2019 - 2023 | Senior Penetration Tester, risk3sixty |
| 2018 - 2019 | Penetration Tester, risk3sixty |
| 2015 - 2018 | IT Security Systems Administrator |
| 2013 - 2015 | IT Helpdesk Technician |
Credentials
| OSCP | Offensive Security Certified Professional |
| GWAPT | GIAC Web Application Penetration Tester (expired) |
| CEH | EC-Council Certified Ethical Hacker (expired) |
| Security+ce | CompTIA (expired) |
Speaking Events
I present at security conferences when I have something worth saying. The range is wide — from technical subjects like serverless password cracking and red team tooling to the organizational stuff: burnout, budget justification, and explaining what a pentest actually is.
| Name | Event |
|---|---|
| Solving Dumb Hacker Problems with Nix (opens in new tab) | Wild West Hackin’ Fest @ Mile High |
| The Human Element Is Not Your Punching Bag | ISACA Atlanta Geek Week |
| Purple Teaming for ROI and Growth (opens in new tab) | Bishop Fox Webcast |
| Winning the Game for Security Budgets | BSides Atlanta |
| Burnout Recovery and Prevention 101 | BSides Atlanta |
| How to Attack Companies with No Buildings or Networks | ISACA Birmingham |
| What Even Is a Pentest? | ISACA Atlanta Geek Week |
| (Almost) Serverless Password Cracking (opens in new tab) | BSides Atlanta |