Technology Through the Lens of Information
Technology has always been part of my work, so has knowledge.
Long before AI made information architecture fashionable, I was helping organizations think about knowledge, governance, and how information supports better decisions.
That's still the work I enjoy most today.
Whether I'm serving as a Fractional CIO, leading a knowledge management initiative, or helping an executive team think through AI governance, I'm usually asking the same questions:
- What information matters?
- How should it be organized?
- How will people find it?
- What happens when key people leave?
- How can technology make all of that easier?
An Unusual Path
People are often surprised to learn that my background is in library and information science. I'm not. Information has always been at the center of every technology decision I've made.
I've spent my career helping organizations make sense of complexity. My career has included investigative journalism at CNN, digital initiatives at Bucknell University, research and knowledge services at Harvard Kennedy School, and international work supporting organizations across multiple countries and sectors.
Each experience reinforced the same lesson:
Technology is only valuable when it helps people work, learn, and make decisions more effectively.
That's the perspective I bring to FireOak.
After years working at the intersection of information, technology, and organizational strategy, I founded FireOak Strategies in 2010 to help organizations strengthen the foundations that allow technology to work.
Today
Today I work primarily with executive teams navigating organizational growth, technology strategy, knowledge management, governance, AI readiness, and cybersecurity.
Some engagements focus on Fractional CIO leadership.
Others begin with knowledge management or governance.
Regardless of where we start, the goal is usually the same:
Helping organizations build stronger foundations for long-term success.
Curiosity Never Stops
When I'm not working with clients, you'll probably find me experimenting with AI, having long conversations with Claude and ChatGPT, building automations, organizing information, reading far too many books, exploring new technology, or making something with a Raspberry Pi or 3D printer.
Curiosity has always been part of how I learn.
Fortunately, consulting is a profession where curiosity is useful.
Outside FireOak
Outside of work you'll usually find me cycling through the Blue Ridge Mountains, experimenting with mosaic art, reading, spending time with family, or being supervised by our rescue dogs.
Continue Exploring
If you'd like to learn more about how I think about these topics, you might enjoy:
