DYNAMIC EDGE - Key Persons
Alan Sandell is hardly a stranger around the DE office... he interned with DE for the four years leading up to his Computer Engineering Degree at Michigan Tech. Alan's 4 years of training have allowed him to hit the ground running, and he has already become an invaluable part of our programming team.
Alera went to school at University of San Carlos with the course of Computer Technology Major in Systems and Network Administration. She's also a scholar of a French Non-government organization called Passerelles Numeriques where it offers technical and professional training in the sector of information technology. Being a scholar, she was trained to be a professional one and implement the core values which are Trust, Respect and Responsibility.
Ari has been tinkering with computers for years, and it all started by completely disassembling and then reassembling the family computer when she was 8 years old. From there she went on to build her own custom machines and helped the family with computer problems. She has been troubleshooting ever since.
Benjamin immersed himself in computers growing up, taking every opportunity in school to learn about computers and the internet. Wanting to understand how they worked physically, he built his first PC as a child. He was the go-to technician for friends and family then, and still is to this day. Ben studies cyber security and networking at Washtenaw Community College in Michigan.
Ben Tidswell is a rock star. He's also superb at fixing computers! He powered through a Linux certification at Washtenaw Community College back in '05. Since then, he has gotten a wealth of experience including working for Apple for 2 years. He loves cats. He loves triple-booting his MacBook Pro and making the Apple fan boys cringe when he runs Windows and look confused when he runs Ubuntu. Aside from the computer stuff, some nights you can find Ben playing drums in a Clash cover band at the Blind Pig.
Brandon spent his childhood between Michigan and Tennessee. Growing up in both the North and South help him see the great differences in other people. This is something that has defined his life, mapping out meeting people and appreciating differences. Since he was twelve he develop a knack for understanding computers and they way they work. So after a little self discovery he decided to pursue a career in the computer industry.
Cheryl has spent years delving into the details and nuances of the finance/accounting books. She started out following her family and working in the mechanics field, but it did not take her long to realize that was not where she belonged. A little time at college and Cheryl fell back in love with mathematics and soon found her calling in Accounting. Cheryl earned her Associate's Degree from Monroe County Community College in Monroe, Michigan and has recently started to pursue her Bachelor's at Eastern Michigan University.
Chris has been around computers since the early 80's and he built his first computer in the 5th grade to play Quake and other adventure-style video games. Chris developed a passion for technology over the years, and at 37 years of age Graduated from Baker College with a Bachelors of Science in Information Technology & Security.
Craig has been working on computers for as long as he can remember. When he was seven years old he would actually get tech support calls from family members. He can still remember the joy he'd get from squeezing a few extra KB of memory by optimizing autoexec.bat and config.sys files so he could run the latest dos based game on his old PC Jr. It was then that he knew he had the knack. He brings over 17 years of experience in IT with a wide range of skills. Some might call him an IT generalist with experience in wide variety desktop and server operating systems and technologies. Does anyone remember Xenix? With his experience and intuition for finding solutions he has become and indispensable member of the team.
Job Titles:
- Business Technology Manager
Daniel graduated from Southern Adventist University with a Bachelors of Finance and Minor in Computing. Following graduation, he worked for several business's honing both skills in IT and IS whiling continually developing skills in customer service.
Ruth-Decker Chaney (known as "Decker") grew up in a high tech household in which she was an active participant. For example, in high school, her father had her make Ethernet cables while watching "Looney Tunes" on Saturday mornings in order to help him create an extensive computer network. Decker is a science and theater nerd with undergrad degrees in Biological Anthropology and Theater Studies with a minor in Medieval-Renaissance Studies from Duke University in 2004. She just finished her Master's degree at Vanderbilt in Science Education, and joins DE as a Super Support Staffer in our Nashville Office.
Edward has 6 years experience in customer service and 6 years experience as a teacher and editor. His first real interest in technology came watching his dad play video games on their Intellivison home console. From there he became interested in how computers work eventually taking the programming, robotics, and technologies courses provided at his high school. He prides himself on excellent attention to detail and whether it's studying the inner workings of the English language or the inner workings of software and computer technology, Edward is always at home.
Erik Brzezinski got into computers growing up, modifying them and becoming fascinated with them even after school. He loves working with people, and especially solving problems. You can find him often with a smile on his face when he's found something new to sink his teeth into.
Ethan has always been fascinated by technology. He built his first computer in 9th grade to play video games and would later expand to use it for graphic design. Always wanting to help others he would assist building friends' computers and now wants to help others through technology itself.
Jacob grew up around computers and still spends way too much time with them. Hardware and networking are his specialties and he enjoys finding new ways to connect computers, share files, and work with data. He holds a bachelor's in Information Assurance and an associate's in Computer Networking, but still likes learning more about IT every day.
Jim has been developing software since he was just 9 years old (prior to the rise of SkyNet… aka "The Internet"). Well versed in over a dozen languages, he insists on re-purposing technology into things it was never intended for. Jim is skilled in both software and hardware design, with a background in software development, network engineering, telecom engineering, and making impossible things happen, just to prove they can be done.
Kevin first started his journey in IT at Michigan Technological University in the bitter north of the Upper Peninsula, far beyond the edge of the world, he studied computer engineering and learned advanced physics and calculus. After being turned into an ass by Titania in a well-known and huge production of Shakespeare (2500 seat auditorium), Kevin decided that his love for the interactions with people was more important than just the gates on a circuit board. So Western Michigan University Hayworth College of Business is where Kevin finished his degree in Computer Information Systems and started the true trek of learning how the world works. Endicott NY (birthplace of IBM) was where Kevin has spent the last 12 years, building a name and reputation for being a brilliant business consultant and technical support specialist to many companies of all sizes and industries.