About Me
I'm an AI builder, teacher, and consultant with deep, hands-on experience across the full spectrum of modern AI - from multi-model LLM integration and agentic workflows to self-hosted infrastructure and custom hardware builds. I work with proprietary models (Claude, GPT-4, Gemini, DeepSeek) and open-source models (Llama, Mistral, Qwen) daily, and I've built production systems on top of all of them.
My work spans custom software development, complex automation pipelines, RAG and vector search systems, AI image and video generation, and full-stack self-hosted infrastructure. I run a 40+ container Docker stack, manage a multi-node home lab with VLAN segmentation and Tailscale mesh networking, and have built multiple custom computers including a Ryzen 9 / RTX 4090 workstation for local AI inference.
I also teach workshops, consult with clients on AI projects, present at summits and conferences, and publish the Century Report - a daily AI newsletter powered by a 14,000+ line automated pipeline that discovers, ingests, synthesizes, and publishes long-form analysis of the AI landscape. I also produce the Open Builder Bar podcast, where an AI agent I built participates live on-air.
Professional & Academic Background
By day, I am the Director of Curriculum and Assessment at Washtenaw Community College in Ann Arbor, Michigan - a role that is far more technical than the title suggests. I have led a full enterprise software migration, built custom Python tooling to transform large-scale legacy XML databases, designed AI-assisted workflow automation for my department, and rebuilt the institution's curriculum data infrastructure from the ground up.
I am also a doctoral candidate in Educational Leadership at the University of Northern Colorado, with proposal defense scheduled for spring 2026 and anticipated graduation in December 2026. My career has spanned academic leadership, curriculum technology, instructional design, and published authorship - including a textbook on Microsoft Word 2019 & 365 through Labyrinth Learning that is in use at schools nationwide.
In March 2026, I presented at the Gen AI Summit at Eastern Michigan University, where my session - “How to Work with AI to Build Personal Tools that Improve Your Life” - was rated the number one presentation out of 65 available sessions based on attendee surveys. I also presented at the Relational AI Virtual Summit in February 2026 on practical paths toward open-source, self-hosted AI sovereignty.
This combination of deep technical fluency and proven institutional leadership experience is what makes my background distinct. I can build the systems, and I can get organizations to adopt them.