Hi, I'm Zachary.
Chief Technology Officer
Technologist / Leader / Maven / Architect / Engineer / Solver of Problems / Adventure Enthusiast
Technologist / Leader / Maven / Architect / Engineer / Solver of Problems / Adventure Enthusiast
I am a transformational leader who builds successful teams through
empathy and trust. My approach is rooted in providing the 'why,'
fostering autonomy, promoting mastery, and instilling a sense of
shared purpose while always leading from the front.
My 20+ years on the competitive soccer field served as a masterclass
in team dynamics, reinforcing this philosophy. The greatest lesson
wasn't about the individual play, but the realization that one
person's confidence is infectious. I've seen a shared positive outlook
unlock truly impressive, even 'impossible,' team achievements. I
believe in actively lifting up teammates, understanding that when we
win, it's a collaborative synergy, and when we fall short, we treat it
as a shared accountability that strengthens us for the next challenge.
This unique perspective on the interplay of technology and business
comes from working with organizations ranging from 10 to over 6,000
employees across many industries. This breadth of experience has
helped me focus intensely on what matters most when building
high-performing teams and resilient technology.
I seek to partner with leadership teams that exhibit excellence in
these key qualities:
- Willingness to be vulnerable and open
- Eagerness for continuous improvement
- A growth mindset
- Collaboration and inclusivity
Technology should make our lives simpler, not harder. People follow the path of least resistance, and that means complexity or difficulty leads to ineffective technology. Don't settle for technology that solves one problem but creates another. Utilize the right technology to create efficiency and simplicity.
Security must be so interwoven into technology that it is indiscernible from the technology itself. It should be a cornerstone for all design and architecture decisions. Security is not a feature that can be added later; it must be built in from the start.
Technology should be well-documented and communicated to describe how it works. The most utilized technologies are those which are plainly written, diagrammed, and described. Doing so allows others to use the technology as a building block.
If it isn't automated, it isn't true. We're all human, and any mundane process is prone to error. Automation of the mundane and the boring solves problems and common mistakes such as typos or entering data into the wrong field. It allows people to focus on higher-level projects, innovation, and growth.
Technology should be scalable and built for failure. Scalability considered both expansion and contraction. Failure can exist at any layer and when the design of technology accounts for failure that allows for continuity. It is the difference between stressful firefighting and confidence in knowing the technology will work when needed.
Senior Vice President, Technology
Sunward
Technology visionary, strategist, and leader. My role oversees technology and cybersecurity within the organization. I enable and protect the organization through technology by aligning the technology to organizational goals. My team translates ideas and goals into execution by bringing together the right people, processes, and technology.
Interim Chief Technology Officer
Sunward
Technology visionary, strategist, and leader. With a new leadership team, Sunward was going through a transition phase rebuilding their culture and vision. My role was to rebuild the culture, stabalize the technology, and move into the modern era where technology platforms enabled business outcomes.
Founder
Octo Ventures
I founded Octo Ventures to share my experience and knowledge with other organizations. It's also where I explore, experiment, and build new ideas.
Sr Director of Strategic Technology
Govplace
An organization trying to reinvent itself with new leadership and a new direction. My role was to provide vision, strategy, and experience in technology. Ultimiately culminating in the creation of a new arm of the business with new products and services based on a 3 year strategy.
Chief Technology Officer
Think|Stack
Technical visionary, strategist, and team leader. I built the services and projects we sold to our customers with an eye towards common sense and putting myself in the shoes of our customers. My focus was on understanding problems in order to design and build out solutions that could be implemented by a team which included our engineers and our customer's technical team(s).
VP of Architecture
Think|Stack
Built out a project team in my first year in order to expand projects offered. Turned my focus to designing and building out a cloud practice, specifically with AWS and Microsoft 365 centered around a DevSecOps framework to support scalable, flexible, and secure projects and management of cloud environments. Wrote over 25,000 lines of terraform code to automate and standardize projects. Took over the sales team technical engagements, quoting, and approval process for jobs going to our customers.
Senior Network Engineer & Systems Engineer
RedZone Technologies
Oversaw all networking projects within my first three months while self-teaching with CCNA courses. Focused on learning from the strongest senior engineers and quickly took lead on all projects assigned to me. Was the primary senior network and virtualization engineer after proving myself with 200+ network implementation projects and 100+ virtualization implementation projects.
Helpdesk Technician
DRAW Enterprises
Honed my technical skills and quickly showed aptitude to manage servers and key environment components such as: citrix, network devices, servers, and firewalls.
Stagen Leadership Program
Stagen
2025
Conscious Leadership Program
The Conscious Leadership Group
2023 - 2025
Next Generation Leaders Program
Next Generation Leaders
2016 - 2017
AWS Solutions Architect - Professional
Amazon Web Services
2025 & 2022 & 2019
AWS Solutions Architect - Associate
Amazon Web Services
2025 & 2022 & 2019
VMware Certified Professional - Data Center Virtualization
VMware
2009 & 2013
CCNP (previously held)
Cisco
2012
CCNA (previously held)
Cisco
2010
