U.S. Department of Veterans AffairsDisabled Veteran
Aug. 2017Greater Pittsburgh AreaAfter parting ways with MACG in 2017, I had to make the incredibly difficult decision to step back from my career & focus on my health & my family. I have been hesitant to update my status on here until now (September 2019) for two reasons... 1. I have not really been able to accept myself as disabled and am uncomfortable with the idea that I am unable to work. 2. I was fighting the appeal for Social Security Disability. Now that I have won that appeal, and am classified as disabled through both the Department of Veterans Affairs & the Social Security Administration, I am providing this update because I am a huge advocate of being honest and open, especially with respect to invisible disabilities and mental health. For the foreseeable future, I will be focused on the following:
1. Improving my own health & wellbeing.
2. My wonderful fiance & five children. My 2yo son was just diagnosed autistic, so we will be putting a lot of time and effort into working with him in order to set him up for the best life he can possibly live! <3
3. I intend to remain active and up-to-date with the technology world and here on LinkedIn, especially with a focus on security. The "hacker world" is a huge passion of mine, and I hope to eventually find the time & ability to get into some independent and/or team research, bug bounty programs, and things of that nature.
4. I intend to become more involved with advocacy for the Disabled Veteran Community and Autism Spectrum Disorder where and when I can. I welcome any & all communication, opportunity, and new connections with regard to the IT Security world, Disabled Veteran Community, or ASD. I would love to be a part of any team, group, or discussion that I can, given my disability. I wish you all well with your professional, personal, and career endeavors, and look forward to an opportunity to speak or work with you! Thank you so much for your understanding & support!