Microsoft · Active Directory

1999–2003 · Microsoft employment

A foundation in technical problem-solving

As a full-time Microsoft employee, I began in Product Support Services (PSS), working on Windows, Active Directory, kernel debugging, and performance management. That meant investigating problems deep within the operating system, understanding how systems behaved under load, and tracing issues to their causes.

This work built a practical foundation for helping organizations operate complex infrastructure: technical depth, careful diagnosis, and an understanding of how identity and directory services fit into the wider environment.

From support to customer-facing consulting

I progressed from PSS into Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS), where my work included ROSS engagements. The role brought that troubleshooting background into customer-facing consulting, helping Microsoft introduce critical technologies to the marketplace and helping organizations put them into use.

I supported early Active Directory deployments and Windows infrastructure and security work for government, healthcare, and financial technology clients. The work connected a new directory architecture with the practical questions of deployment, administration, performance, and security.

Into NMCI

That progression led into my work on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI), where identity, security, and deployment had to come together at a much larger institutional scale. I participated first as a Microsoft team member and later continued NMCI work with EDS.

The NMCI feature brings together that cross-employer story. The Microsoft and EDS contributions belong to distinct periods of my career.

A lasting connection

This experience shaped how I approach technology leadership: understand the underlying system, work directly with the people adopting it, and connect architecture with something an organization can deploy and operate.