Experience
Thirty Years Outdoors.
Thirty Years Getting Things Built.
Engineer First, Communicator Always
I started as a mechanical engineer designing vacuum pumps in England, spent fourteen years at Applied Materials helping build the machines that make microchips, and went on to lead technology communications and brand at Hewlett Packard Labs, Micron, Cerebras, and Check Point. Along the way I earned 15 US patents, hosted podcasts, won a Gold Telly Award, and learned the skill that matters most in public service: taking a genuinely complicated problem and explaining it so everyone can weigh in. I recently retired — which means the Director role gets my full attention, not my leftovers.
Outside work you'll find me on East Bay trails — hiking and biking them for 30 years, camera usually in hand, dog usually in front.
Check Point Software · Brand Director · 2023 – 2026
Brand strategy and governance for the cybersecurity pioneer that invented the modern firewall. Rebuilt a consistent visual identity, wrote the company's first Voice & Tone Guide, and led the video and keynote teams to a Gold Telly Award.
Cerebras Systems · Communications & Brand Director · 2021 – 2023
Ran technical marketing, brand, web, photography, and video for the maker of the world's largest AI chip — overhauling the company website, building the in-house studio, and writing 44 technical blogs that earned 300+ pieces of press coverage.
Micron Technology · Content Strategist · 2020 – 2021
Brought memory-chip innovation to life for general audiences — created and hosted Micron's first technical podcast, with episodes outperforming typical channel metrics by 250%.
Hewlett Packard Labs · Senior Marketing Manager, AI & Advanced Architectures; Executive Communicator to the CTO · 2014 – 2020
Made HPE's research agenda accessible to customers, press, academia, and policy makers. Built the messaging for The Machine, HPE's flagship research program — 130+ pieces of coverage and eight-figure government research grants.
Applied Materials · Engineering & Technical Communications · 2000 – 2014
Fourteen years spanning engineering management and media relations: managed the launch of a 45nm photomask etch system that went from zero to 100% market share, ran the applications laboratory, then made the company's entire technology portfolio accessible to press, investors, and policy makers — writing for Wired, IEEE Spectrum, and more.
BOC Edwards · Mechanical Engineer → High Vacuum Specialist · 1990 – 2000
Started on the drawing board in Brighton, England: lead engineer on turbomolecular pump development, then global technical liaison in Silicon Valley.
- 15 US patents in photomask fabrication
- MS & BS, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering — University of London
- Gold Telly Award — flagship brand animation, Check Point
- Published in Wired, IEEE Spectrum, ExtremeTech, and Gizmodo
Photographer (portfolio), video maker (showcase), 30-year East Bay parks regular, and — ask my dog — a very committed trail walker.
Read Where I Stand