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James Petty

James Petty

Director of IT at TextRequest | Microsoft MVP | Author | Speaker | CEO at The DevOps Collective INC.

Signal Mountain, TN, US
English

Background


About

About

James currently holds the position of Director of Information Technology at TextRequest. He is a four-time awardee of the Microsoft MVP award. In a dedicated capacity, he also assumes the role of volunteer CEO at DevOps Collective INC, a non-profit organization operating within technology education. The organization's primary focus revolves around PowerShell, automation, and DevOps. It has garnered recognition for providing an array of free online resources, notably including PowerShell.org. /n/n In the literary domain, James is lead author of two published works: 'Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches' now in its fourth edition, and 'Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches,' in its second edition. Both of these insightful publications are proudly published by Manning./n/n At the core of James's passion lies the realm of automation, where he adeptly wields tools like PowerShell, Azure, and all facets related to Windows Server environments. His prowess in this domain has been honed over more than a decade of service as an infrastructure administrator, catering to businesses spanning a diverse range of sizes./n/n James has woven his life in the tranquil environs outside Chattanooga, Tennessee, where he resides with his cherished wife, daughters, two dogs, and two cats.

Work Experience

Work Experience

  • Director of Information Technology, Text Request

    Nov, 2022 - Present

    My role encompassed many responsibilities, including laptop procurement, user role-based provisioning, and de-provisioning. I also ensured robust endpoint security measures across Text Request. I handled the configuration of various SaaS software applications, which involved procurement, license management, and setting default security parameters. My duties extended to managing Identity and Access Management (IAM) processes throughout Text Request. I navigated various IAM solutions, such as Azure AD and Google Business, alongside one-off logins that do not allow SSO. To optimize efficiency, I spearheaded efforts to consolidate and streamline these solutions, favoring Azure AD or a combination of Azure AD and Google when necessary. Furthermore, I was pivotal in constructing monitoring and alert dashboards for proactive IT oversight. I worked closely with department heads to identify existing processes, leveraging IT solutions to simplify operations and enhance productivity, saving valuable time company-wide. I maintain our SOC2 Type 2 compliance and work directly with our auditors to ensure a successful audit.

  • Adjunct Professor, Chattanooga State Community College

    Aug, 2022 - Present

    Utilize variety of technologies and instructional methodologies to keep courses fresh and engaging.
    o Work with individual students to improve understanding and course grades.
    o Help students develop talent through range of exercises, readings, and discussions.

  • CEO, The DevOps Collective INC.

    Jun, 2019 - Present

  • VP, Treasure and CFO, The DevOps Collective INC.

    Apr, 2018 - Nov, 20224 years 7 months

    Serve as a volunteer member of the board of directors for the DevOps Collective CFO for DevOps Collective, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working in the technology education space, as the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Help manage a $600k+ annual budget that includes scholarship programs and a 400-attendee annual community event. The nonprofit is focused on PowerShell, automation, and DevOps, and also runs numerous free online resources including PowerShell.org.

  • Solutions Architect, WYRE Technology

    Feb, 2021 - Nov, 20221 year 9 months

  • Owner, 714 Consulting

    Jul, 2019 - Nov, 20223 years 4 months

    Providing IT training and consulting services. Specializing in Windows Automation, PowerShell, Office 365, and Azure.

  • Windows Server Administrator, Tennessee Valley Authority

    May, 2012 - Jun, 20197 years 1 month

    Working in a large enterprise helping to support over 2200 servers running the Windows Server operating system from 2003 -2016.
    Responsible for patch compliance and baseline compliance on all Windows servers. Using System Center Configuration Manger (current branch).
    Lead for the enterprise Print Management system. I designed and implemented a new architecture resulting in significant reduction in downtime due to human error and gained a major performance boost.
    Technical lead for the evaluation and implementation of the Windows Server 2016 operating system. Testing new capabilities and working with a cross team of administrators we were able to roll out the operating system enterprise wide with in 18 months of the OS becoming Generally Available by Microsoft.
    Technical lead for the implementation of Just Enough Administration for use by tier 2 helpdesk technicians on 1500+ servers.

  • Resnet Support, Tennessee Technological University

    Aug, 2009 - May, 20122 years 9 months

    Helped students resolve their issues when connecting to the Residential Network at TTU by phone or email.

  • Network Administrator, Hutchinson FTS

    May, 2009 - Aug, 20093 months

  • IT Intern, Tennessee Attorney General's Office

    May, 2007 - Aug, 20073 months

Skills

Skills

  • Microsoft

    PowerShell

    Azure

    Active Directory

    Hyper-V

    Intune

  • DevOps

    GitHub

    Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD)

    Open Source

  • Community Engagement

    Speaker

    Conference Organizer

    Microsoft MVP

Education

Education

  • Doctor of Business Administration, Management Information Systems, Lliberty University

    Aug, 2023 - Present

  • Information Technology, Management Information Systems, University of Alabama at Birmingham

    Sep, 2020 - May, 2022

  • Computer Science (Information Technology), Bachelor of Science, Tennessee Technological University

    Dec, 2007 - Dec, 2012

  • , High School Diploma, Creek Wood High School

    Dec, 2004 - Dec, 2007

Certificates

Certificates

Awards

Awards

  • Eagle Scout , Boy Scouts of America

    Awarded on: Jan 31, 2006

    Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). The designation "Eagle Scout" was founded over one hundred years ago. Only four percent of Boy Scouts are granted this rank after a lengthy review process.[2] The requirements necessary to achieve this rank take years to fulfill. Since its founding, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by almost 2.5 million young men

  • Vigil Honor , Boy Scouts of America

    Awarded on: Sep 30, 2006

    The Vigil Honor is the highest honor that the Order of the Arrow can bestow upon its members for service to lodge, council, and Scouting. Membership cannot be won by a person's conscious endeavors.

    The Vigil Honor is a high mark of distinction and recognition reserved for those Arrowmen who, by reason of exceptional service, personal effort, and unselfish interest, have made distinguished contributions beyond the immediate responsibilities of their position of office.

Volunteer Work

Volunteer Work

  • Board Member, Tau Kappa Epsilon of Cookeville INC

    May, 2012 - May, 2014

    Voting member for the Board of Advisors for the Mu Omciron Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon

  • Treasurer, Tau Kappa Epsilon of Cookeville INC

    Aug, 2014 - Nov, 2018

    Treasurer for Board of Advisers for the Mu Omicron Chapter of Tau Kappa Epsilon, Tennessee Technological University.

    Primary responsibilities overseeing a $60,000 operating budget, filing all state and federal documents (including yearly 990N for the IRS).

  • Board President, Tau Kappa Epsilong of Cookeville INC

    Nov, 2018 - Present

    Chairman of the board

Publications

Publications

  • Learn PowerShell in a Month of Lunches 4th Edition , Manning

    Published on: Invalid date

    Designed for busy IT professionals, this innovative guide will take you from the basics to PowerShell proficiency through 25 tutorials you can do in your lunch break.

  • Learn PowerShell Scripting in a Month of Lunches 4th Edition , Manning

    Published on: undefined

    Automate complex tasks and processes with PowerShell scripts. This amazing book teaches you how to write, test, and organize high-quality, reusable scripts for Windows, Linux, and cloud-based systems.