Background
My path to building AI systems was not linear. It runs through military service, entrepreneurship, marketing, enterprise technology, and nonprofit governance. Each phase contributed something essential.
Today I build AI systems that create, protect, and explore memory. This work draws on everything that came before: the discipline from Army service, the product instincts from founding Textstr, the systems thinking from enterprise engineering at Costco, and the research rigor from graduate studies in cybersecurity and AI.
Professional Timeline
Founder
Ajax Studio & VoiceGuard AI
Building AI systems that address real problems. Ajax Studio is a multimodal creative platform for generating music, videos, and digital artists with persistent identity. VoiceGuard AI is a free synthetic voice detection tool protecting individuals and organizations from deepfake audio scams. Both products are deployed and serving users.
What It Taught
The best way to understand AI capabilities and limitations is to build systems that people actually use. Research informs products, and products inform research.
Senior Engineer
Costco IT
Enterprise-scale engineering and governance work supporting one of the largest retailers in the world. Focus areas include risk management frameworks, security architecture, regulatory compliance, and building systems that operate reliably at massive scale across global operations.
What It Taught
Working at enterprise scale teaches you about systems that must work reliably every time. Compliance is not about paperwork; it is about building systems that do what they are supposed to do and can prove it.
Board Member
Fresh Start Futures
Nonprofit board service focused on supporting individuals building new paths forward after incarceration. Provide strategic guidance, governance oversight, and technology expertise to expand the organization's impact.
What It Taught
Nonprofit governance requires balancing mission with sustainability. The work is about enabling others rather than building for yourself.
Founder & CEO
Textstr
Founded and scaled an automotive SMS marketing platform serving car dealerships nationwide. Built a comprehensive suite including landline and toll-free texting, automated customer communications, appointment scheduling, service department integration, and reputation management. Earned endorsements from OEMs including Honda Canada and Mazda Canada. Led the company through product development, market fit, and revenue growth over multiple years.
What It Taught
Building a product that generates real revenue teaches you things that building projects does not. Revenue is the ultimate feedback loop. Every feature decision has real consequences when customers depend on your system.
Chief Marketing Officer
Adworkz
Led growth strategy and marketing automation for a digital marketing agency serving regional and national clients. Developed systematic approaches to client acquisition, campaign optimization, and scalable marketing operations. Oversaw transition from manual processes to automated workflows.
What It Taught
Marketing at scale is a systems problem. The value is in building processes that work consistently, not in one-off creative wins.
Service Member
United States Army
Military service that provided foundational experience in leadership, discipline, teamwork, and operating under pressure. Developed skills in mission planning, adaptability, and executing in challenging environments that continue to inform how I approach complex technical problems.
What It Taught
The Army teaches you to execute. It teaches you that planning matters but adaptation matters more. It teaches you that teams accomplish things individuals cannot.
Skills & Expertise
Technical capabilities developed across military, startup, enterprise, and research environments.
AI & Machine Learning
- Large Language Models
- Multimodal AI Systems
- Audio Analysis
- Memory Architectures
- Model Orchestration
Security
- Synthetic Voice Detection
- Deepfake Analysis
- Enterprise Security Architecture
- Risk Management
- Compliance Frameworks
Engineering
- Python
- TypeScript
- React/Next.js
- Node.js
- Cloud Infrastructure (AWS)
Leadership
- Startup Founding
- Product Development
- Team Building
- Strategic Planning
- Board Governance
Education & Credentials
Pre-Doctoral Research
AI Memory Systems
Pre-doctoral researcher investigating episodic and semantic memory in AI systems, grounded in Complementary Learning Systems theory and cognitive neuroscience. Research explores how AI systems can develop persistent identity through memory architectures inspired by biological learning.
Master of Science in Cybersecurity
Central Washington University
Advanced study in cybersecurity principles, threat analysis, security architecture, and risk management. Builds on undergraduate foundation with focus on enterprise security and governance.
Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity
Central Washington University
Foundation in network security, cryptography, secure software development, and information assurance. Combined technical depth with practical application.
Industry Certifications
Principles
These are the operating principles that guide my work across products, research, and service.
Execution
Ideas are cheap. The value is in building things that work. Every project I pursue ends with deployed systems, not just documentation.
Clarity
Complex systems require clear thinking. I aim for explanations that make sense to smart people outside my specialty.
Public Good
Some work should be free. VoiceGuard is free because synthetic voice scams hurt people who cannot afford defense. Not everything needs to be monetized.
Building Real Systems
Research that does not connect to practice is incomplete. Every research direction I pursue is grounded in systems I am actually building.
Want to learn more?
Explore my current work, research direction, or get in touch directly.