My Professional Life
Current Professional Certifications:
....PMP
- Project Management Professional
....ITIL4 Foundation
....PSM - Professional Scrum Master
....CompTIA A+, Net+ and Project+
.Legacy IT Certifications:
....MCT
- Microsoft Certified Trainer
....MCP - Microsoft Certified Professional
....MCDST
- Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Specialist
....CompTIA Security+ and i-Net+
....Master MOS-AI -
Microsoft Office Specialist
Project Management Certifications
I currently hold three professional certifications in Project Management. I have linked to each of the certification's website in the description section below.
Project Management Professional (PMP)
PMP
is an internationally recognized professional designation offered by the Project Management Institute (PMI). As of 31 July 2020, there are 1,036,367 active PMP certified individuals and 314 chartered chapters across 214 countries and territories worldwide. The exam is based on the PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)
The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions written against the PMBOK specification and the PMP Code of Ethics. The exam is closed book; no reference materials are allowed. Twenty-five of the 200 questions on the exam are "sample" questions used to fine-tune the degree of difficulty and precision of the exam and as such are not counted for or against a test taker. These questions are placed randomly throughout the exam. The test taker is only graded on their proficiency on 175 questions. The numbers in parentheses describe the percentage of questions for each domain.
Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
Professional Scrum Masters demonstrate knowledge and understanding of Scrum and their ability to apply it in real-world situations. The value of certification is intimately tied to the demonstration of knowledge needed to achieve it. By that measure, the PSM assessments are significantly more valuable than available alternatives for Scrum. And, we strive to ensure that they remain valuable and relevant through frequent inspection and adaptation of the assessment content.
Helping People and Teams Solve Complex Problems
Based on the principles of Scrum, Scrum.org provides comprehensive training, resources, assessments and certifications to help people and teams solve complex problems. Throughout the world, our solutions and community of more than 330 Professional Scrum Trainers teach the same content empowering people and organizations to achieve agility through Scrum. Ken Schwaber, the co-creator of Scrum, founded Scrum.org in 2009 as a global organization, dedicating himself to improving professionalism.
ITIL4 Foundation
ITIL is the most widely recognized framework for IT and digitally enabled services in the world. It provides comprehensive, practical and proven guidance for establishing an effective IT service management system.
The ITIL® certification scheme provides a modular approach to the ITIL framework, and is comprised of a series of qualifications focused on different aspects of ITIL best practice to various degrees of depth and detail. The tiered structure of the qualification offers candidates flexibility relating to the different disciplines and areas of ITIL and the ability to focus their studies on key areas of interest.
CompTIA Project +
CompTIA Project+ is ideal for professionals who need to manage projects as part of their other job duties but still have foundational project management skills. Project+ is more versatile than other certifications because it covers essential project management concepts beyond the scope of just one methodology or framework. IT Certifications: CompTIA Network+ CompTIA Network+ helps develop a career in IT infrastructure covering troubleshooting, configuring, and managing networks. CompTIA A+ CompTIA A+ certified professionals are proven problem solvers. They support today's core technologies from security to cloud to data management and more. CompTIA A+ is the industry standard for IT careers in today's digital world.
Professional IT Certifications
Over the years I have earned a number of IT certifications, driven mostly because I taught certification preparation courses, to helpothers pass their certification exams.
A+ Certified Computer Technician
Net+ Certified Computer Network Technician
i-Net+ Certified Internetwork Technician
Security+ Computer Security
Project+ Certified IT Project Manager
MCDST - Microsoft Desktop Support Technician
MCT - Microsoft Certified Trainer
MCST-Windows Workstation and Server
MOS - Microsoft Office Specialist
Technical Project Manager
Currently I am a project manager for Election Systems and Software. My earlier role was managing implementations of new voting equipment. For years I traveled to many areas in the United States. In 2015 I was assigned as the Election Systems and Software project manager to implement the Maryland State Board of Elections new voting system. After the implementation I remained in Maryland and support the State Board of Elections as a functional project manager. One of my main areas of responsibility is supporting the state's Election Night Reporting Network. ...
Since coming to MD in 2006 I have moved around the area bit, from Annapolis then Baltimore onto Crofton, and currently in Arnold, MD - For the past 14 years I have continued working in MD and have moved about the state ever since.
Before working in MD I worked in Columbus, OH. In Columbus, my professional life took off again. I worked as a technical trainer at a mid-size law firm (75 attorneys), then went on to work at The Computer Workshop, a technical training company. I earned the Microsoft Certified Trainer certification and taught Microsoft and CompTIA certification classes along with a variety of programming and Microsoft Office classes.
While in Columbus, events took place that would send me on the adventures of my lifetime. I was contracted out to an elections equipment manufacturing company and began traveling throughout CA and AZ teaching customers how to use their recently acquired voting equipment. It began as a one week training support request for San Diego County, CA but the gigs kept rolling in. After six weeks in California, I went to Colorado, then to Arizona. Eventually in 2006, I was sent to Maryland to support their elections.
Lewistown, PA - After the Navy, I returned back to my hometown. I worked a number of jobs, first utilizing my photography training and skills. While working as a photographer at Lewistown Hospital, I took a strong interest in Marketing and Electronic Publishing, which was just emerging as a new technology. I used those acquired skills to shift to career in marketing. Ultimately I would discover my life's passion - teaching adults.
U.S. Navy - I attended the U.S. Naval Schools of Photography located in Pensacola, FL. Upon graduation, worked as a photographer in in Washington, DC where I had many excellent photographic opportunities. I have photographed the President and vice-President, Congressional Committees, foreign diplomats and done photographic work for the National Archives and Smithsonian Institute.
It's hard to believe but I am in the photo. April, 1986
