Hi, my name is

Ben.

CISSP, PMP, Nerd

I’m a software developer, project manager, and cybersecurity professional. I’m passionate about technology, security, and learning how things work.

About Me

Welcome to my portfolio! With over 20 years in the software industry, my career has spanned from *nix systems enthusiasm at Purdue to impactful roles in startups and large corporations. My journey across embedded systems, web applications, and more, fueled by continuous learning and a knack for innovation, has equipped me with a unique perspective on driving success in technology projects. Holding CISSP, PMP, and CSM certifications, I blend technical expertise with leadership to turn ideas into reality.

Read more about my experience, me personally, or reach out.

Here are a few technologies I've been working with recently:
  • zig
  • hugo
  • python
  • markdown
  • typescript
  • nix

Experience

Founder, Principal Consultant - SC2
Apr 2024 - Present
I started Star City Security Consulting to bring my knowledge and experience to the small and medium-sized businesses of Lafayette. I am responsible for everything as of this writing. Our chief aim is to provide data security guidance for where you are, what you want to do, and what you have on hand.
Compliance Manager - OnBoard
Aug 2018 - Present

I am currently working as a compliance manager at OnBoard taking our InfoSec compliance posture to the next level; maintaining compliance with SOC2 Type 2, ISO 27001, ISO 27701, and emerging privacy regulations around the globe. I am leveraging prior technical experience for a wholistic and knowledge-led approach to security compliance.

  • Completed external audits of ISO 27001/27701 and SOC 2 Type 2 with Zero non-conformities two years in a row
  • Created GRC tracking and management solutions focused on objective risk assessment and greater non-compliance visibility
  • Lead business and product compliance effort on AI, requiring rapid learning of LLMs and transformers, vendors, architecture approaches, public concern, and reinterpreting privacy regulations in light of how LLMs function.
  • Instituted organizational wide roll out of ISO 27701
Scrum Master - Arxan
May 2016 - Feb 2018

As a Scrum Master for our encryption product team, am responsible for transitioning the team to more agile work methods, adapting to new standards and initiatives, identifying and mitigating risks, advocating for the team with internal management, and assisting the team in meeting feature goals and objectives.

  • Guided team to more consistent agile development with 2 week sprints utilizing JIRA
  • Assisted product owner in maintaining product and sprint backlog in accordance with product road-map
Technical Functional Area Lead - Hewlett Packard Enterprise
Feb 2008 - April 2016

While also being a developer, I was responsible for managing the prior authorization subsystem and Atlantes subsystem of the medicaid account. I was also responsible for the coordinated efforts of a small team of developers to maintain and build onto the eligibility system as well as communicating with account management regarding improvements, problem mitigation, and policy.

  • Architected the flow of data along with interfaces and standards between subsystems
  • Rearchitected full letter generation engine
  • Rearchitected testing environment refresh process
  • Worked with client to define business rules
  • Performed project management duties on behalf of PMO for the prior authorization subsystem team

Education

2002 - 2006
Bachelor of Arts in History of Science and Technology
Purdue University

My path through Purdue was a winding one, starting out in NROTC and Nuclear Engineering. The timing was not right for me and took a year of computer science in an attempt to transfer colleges. Long story short, I ended up in the History department with a minor in the history of science and technology.

Extracurricular Activities

  • NROTC
  • Pre-law Society
  • Japanese Club
  • Purdue Anime Club

Projects

LastChoice - A Zig Journey to Data Recovery
zig
LastChoice - A Zig Journey to Data Recovery
The Genesis of LastChoice In the realm of software development, sometimes the most niche projects …
Pioneering AI Privacy Policy: Leading the Charge in Responsible AI Implementation
AI Compliance Policy
Pioneering AI Privacy Policy: Leading the Charge …
In the rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence (AI), it’s crucial for businesses to …
Aniki.fm: A Podcast About Anime with Two Brothers
Podcast Sound Production Design
Aniki.fm: A Podcast About Anime with Two Brothers
About Aniki.fm Note If you’re wonder where the site is: see this post. Aniki is a podcast …
Evolution of the Magic Card Generator
PHP Python Nuxt Kubernetes
Evolution of the Magic Card Generator
Note If you’re wonder where the site is: see this post. Introduction The Magic Card Generator …
Base Emoji
Python
Base Emoji
What is it? A silly project to learn unicode, baseEmoji is a base1024 encoding scheme that uses …

Get in Touch

If you have any questions or would like to work together, please feel free to reach out to me. For sensitive requests, my gpg key is E48B9 BA138 23B0D 8D065 C1107 467B4 5313F 55526