Technical Sales · Engineering · Go-to-MarketNASA engineer turned enterprise go-to-market & sales-engineering leader.
I turn complex, high-tech products into revenue — and I’ve done it at the companies where it mattered most.
I work where technical sales, engineering, and strategy meet.
Twenty years in technical sales and go-to-market, on an engineering foundation. Today I lead solutions engineering for Cisco AI Defense — AI red teaming, LLM guardrails, AI runtime security, and agentic security — after sales-engineering leadership through two of the decade’s biggest exits.
- Hands-on technical depth: Python, REST APIs, AWS Bedrock & Lambda, LLM/agent frameworks.
- AI security fluency: OWASP Top 10, MITRE ATLAS, NIST AML, agentic security.
- GTM & sales leadership: strategy, demos, storytelling, and player-coach team building.
How I drive go-to-market
The playbook I run for a team, anchored on the two questions that decide every deal: what’s in it for the customer, and why should they care?
Everything else is noise. Teams do their best work when they are clear on why we’re calling, what we believe the customer’s pain is, the measurable improvement being proposed, and an honest order of magnitude for the cost, time, and resources it takes on their side.
Be honest, respectful, and up-front, and you earn the trusted-advisor relationship that outlasts any single deal. Preparation is what makes that possible.
Landscape & competitive fit
SWOT and positioning work that finds where we differentiate — and where the real unmet need lives.
Product fit & business value
Pressure-testing whether the solution genuinely meets the market’s needs, which is what drives satisfaction, retention, and demand.
Market & customer strategy
Finding the prospects who benefit most, then tailoring the message to the challenges they actually feel.
Account planning & outreach
Durable relationships with key accounts, backed by proactive campaigns that generate qualified pipeline.
Demos, stories & trials
Opportunity-specific demos and scoped, time-boxed trials that expedite the decision to buy.
Support, churn & ARR growth
A tight sales-to-support hand-off, so the team delivers the value it sold and grows the account.
Track record
An engineering foundation at NASA and Cisco, then GTM leadership through two of the decade’s biggest tech exits.
Deep technical acumen
- NDSU Electrical/Computer Engineering, BS — 3.9 GPA
- NASA co-op (×3) — mission control, robotics & shuttle-trainer flight software
- NASA T-38N avionics engineer — astronaut training fleet
- Cisco systems engineer, a decade — CCIE
Trusted solution advisor
- Cisco Enterprise Sales — 205% attainment, $20M+ year
- Top graduate, 12-month Cisco Sales Associate Program
- ThousandEyes — 72% YoY regional growth · $1B Cisco acquisition
- Samsara — 185% YoY, #1 enterprise region · $10B IPO
Strategic direction
- Solution & sales strategy; SWOT and business-value assessment
- Concise messaging of complex technical systems
- Roadmap prioritization for recurring growth
- Reusable, scalable reference architectures
Team-centric leader
- Front-line manager — ThousandEyes (10 reports, $100M), Samsara (15 reports, $200M)
- Manager of managers as Dir/VP — Network to Code (50 of 100 staff)
- Global pre-sales team lead, Cisco AI Defense
- Servant leadership rooted in NASA’s team culture
Published: “Using a Robot Control Architecture to Automate Space Shuttle Operations,” Bonasso, Kortenkamp & Whitney — Innovative Applications of Artificial Intelligence (IAAI). · “Conditioning Tool for Persons with Nervous Disorders,” Zeltinger, Thompson & Whitney — National Science Foundation.
Where I do my best work
I’m most effective on smaller, fast-paced teams that stay nimble and customer-obsessed. In short, I am…
- … a methodical, results-oriented builder well-suited to nimble teams that respond fast to customers.
- … more interested in the vision, the team, and the plan than in politics, ladder-climbing, or titles.
- … comfortable wearing many hats to get the mission done.
- … a coach who helps teams find simple solutions to complex problems.
- … pragmatic — solving today’s challenge while building for tomorrow’s need.
- … a continuous learner with a growth mindset that welcomes feedback and change.
Let’s connect
Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Grab the résumé, reach out by email, or message me on LinkedIn — whichever is easiest. I reply within one business day.
