Coursework & Professional Education

Education as a Reflection of Who I Am

Taken as a whole, my education describes a technically grounded, business-minded, and mission-focused leader. It combines the breadth of the liberal arts, the discipline of aircraft maintenance, the judgment required in federal contracting, the practical perspective of business administration, and the systems-level thinking of graduate defense management. That range allows me to understand complex challenges from multiple viewpoints—people, processes, technology, resources, risk, and mission outcomes.

My education also reflects how I learn: progressively, purposefully, and in direct connection with service. I have moved from understanding individual systems to managing complex portfolios, from executing established procedures to developing acquisition strategies, and from leading work at the operational level to examining how entire organizations measure performance and make decisions. Each stage has added another dimension to how I solve problems, develop people, and translate strategy into action.

The result is not simply a collection of degrees and courses. It is the foundation of who I am as a professional: a lifelong learner who can connect the details to the larger mission, communicate across technical and executive audiences, bring structure to ambiguity, and turn knowledge into practical results. My education has prepared me to serve as a bridge between operators, acquisition professionals, analysts, senior leaders, industry partners, and the people ultimately responsible for carrying out the mission.

Education Shaped by Each Stage of Service

My education has grown alongside the responsibilities I have been trusted to carry. I began at Kellogg Community College in 2002, building a broad foundation in writing, accounting, economics, ethics, communication, science, and the social sciences. I earned an Associate in Arts in Liberal Arts, cum laude, in 2006—before entering the United States Air Force in 2007.

Once in uniform, my education became technical and mission-centered. From 2007 through 2009, I completed Basic Military Training and specialized instruction in A-10 aircraft maintenance, then applied that knowledge on the flight line as a crew chief. At the end of 2011, I retrained into contracting, beginning a new chapter focused on acquisition, negotiation, stewardship, and mission support. These two career foundations led to associate degrees in Aviation Maintenance Technology in 2012 and Contracts Management in 2013.

While serving as a contracting professional, I broadened my education from hands-on execution to business and organizational leadership. I completed a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a specialization in Small Business Management, at Southern New Hampshire University in 2015, graduating summa cum laude. My studies brought together finance, accounting, business law, operations, information technology, entrepreneurship, risk management, human resources, and organizational behavior.

I continued developing through Defense Acquisition University and professional military education in cost and price analysis, source selection, contract administration, acquisition strategy, contingency contracting, leadership, joint planning, and operational support. That education accompanied my progression from aircraft maintainer to contracting specialist, contracting officer, team leader, senior noncommissioned officer, and ultimately commissioned Air Force officer in 2022.

Most recently, I completed a Master of Science in Defense Contract Management at the Naval Postgraduate School in 2025, earning a 3.98 GPA across 26 courses and 85 credits. My thesis developed a standardized, outcome-based performance framework for the Department of Defense's Acquisition of Services Pathway—bringing together the technical discipline of a maintainer, the business judgment of a contracting professional, the systems perspective of a graduate researcher, and the strategic responsibility of an officer.

The pattern across this record is simple: I learn in order to lead better. Each stage of my education has prepared me to understand complex work from the ground level, translate policy into practical action, connect resources and data to mission outcomes, develop people, and improve the systems entrusted to me.