User:Paul J. Richardson

Paul J. Richardson is a life-long devotee of learning through internet based resources. He has completed his course work for a doctorate in educational and instructional technology and is now working on his dissertation through Texas Tech University. His professional career has spanned many areas of technology but have mostly focused on website development and computer networking technologies.

As the Senior Webmaster for the Rawls College of Business at Texas Tech University, Paul was responsible for over 200 domains and sub-domains, and over a dozen departmental webmasters. Paul has also served numerous other professional roles at TTU, including Windows Server Manager, Senior PC & Network Support at the College of Education, and Php Programmer for the University Advising Center. Paul has recruited, hired and managed other webmasters, as well as a team of 12 distance education technicians.

At the College of Education, Paul managed all aspects of instructional design related to technology and distance education (approximately 15 IVC courses per semester), with an emphasis on Internet2 interactive televised distance courses, as well as synchronous and asynchronous web 2.0 programming support. Previously, Paul operated SafetyNets Inc, an IT security and network services consulting firm based in North Carolina where he headed up strategic planning and project management of all new engagements.

Prior to coming to TTU, Paul operated SafetyNets Inc, an IT security and network services consulting firm based in North Carolina where he headed up strategic planning and project management of all new engagements. Mr. Richardson’s consulting work has also included assignment in an elite high-level team redesigning network infrastructure at GlaxoSmithKline in the research triangle park, where he provided engineering and implementation support for an LDAPv3 (X.500) global directory service covering 4 continents.

Mr. Richardson has a diverse knowledge of multiple academic areas, from classical epistemology, to organizational behavior science, as well as electrical and electronic engineering. This broad academic background enables Paul to leverage a research-based perspective over a wide swath of organizational issues, from the technological to the financial, from the behavioral to the biochemical.

In 1988, 2 weeks after graduating high school, Mr. Richardson embarked on his 18 year post-secondary education by becoming a US Naval Nuclear Engineering student with US Federal Secret clearance. He went on to graduate with his license as reactor operator and worked numerous electronics and reactor operations positions. As an electronics technician 2nd class Petty Officer he designed and implemented a station wide 26 division Electrical Safety Training and Inspection Program. Since his honorable discharge from the military, Mr. Richardson has supported his continuing academic career by working for multiple employers simultaneously.

His career includes 4 years FT experience managing a large college LAN with 12 servers, 200 websites, and 50 databases, 1.5 years FT managing a distance education IVC program, 3 years FT experience as a hotel accounting auditor, 5 years experience as a FT license security officer supervisor and Federal Bureau of Prisons monitor, 2 years PT experience running a major corporate website, 2 years FT experience supporting a Federal secure network with Sensitive level clearance, and he has designed and taught 7 unique college courses in advanced IT topics including Linux OS, Windows 2000 Server, Wireless Networking, Security+, Apache Web Server, CGI VBscript and Javascripting, and Internetworking. Mr. Richardson’s technology and security related achievements include the following:

Recreated all servers in an isolated virtual test lab for an enterprise organization, providing proof of concept plans and experimental migrations. This ultimate led to successful production environment programmatically scripted migrations of over 200 host header websites and over 50 Microsoft SQL databases spear-headed by Paul.

Designed and advertised 9 new technician positions in the Faculty Support Dept. of the College of Education at TTU. Interviewed, hired, scheduled the working hours, and then trained and managed the team of 12 instructional technology technicians. Planned and organized an enterprise wide new initiative based on a consultantancy model to reach each of 105 faculty & instructors face to face to improve technical support and integration of new technologies into classroom use. Project is still underway with online feedback forms provided, as well as status tracking of goals and standards for progress.

For one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, Mr. Richardson was responsible for support and implementation of a secure enterprise authentication directory, to which there were 24,346,200 connections in June 2003, drawing in account information, and providing security services to 95 different software applications or OSs, for 120,000 user accounts. Through a single world-wide repository of account or password administration, IT costs of ownership have been dramatically decreased.

Managed a security project involving installation of a RAID web server based digital camera surveillance system utilizing existing CAT-5 network infrastructure, which completely eliminated a prior pattern of capital loss for a major technology education institution.

Directed a capital assets management program which resulted in recovery of unaccounted for software and hardware in numerous departments, via an organization wide IT audit. Redesigned database tracking system and updated all tables to include most recent inventory audit. As a result of new information brought to light through the metrics reporting of this activity, the assets management program has now become a top management priority.

Reconfigured routing of a Panasonic super hybrid digital PBX telephone and digital voice mail system. When critical business systems were interrupted, Mr. Richardson was able to quickly respond and restore functionality thus providing for capability to continue core business processes.

Designed and implemented a complete Windows 2000 network for a startup aircraft services business, including a distributed database accounting and inventory system, enabling their ability to focus their core competencies, and to see immediate rewards in save time, efficiency, and a decrease in accounting and ordering errors.

Upgraded a peer to peer network to Windows 2000 with AD, secure DNS, authenticated DHCP, and WINS for a general contracting corporation, including design, configuration and implementation of a secure VPN solution with Extranet access to a Project Management DB application thus enabling on-site update of project status, ordering, and strategic planning. This has since vastly improved operational efficiency and time to delivery for major clients of the agency, and prepared them for an aggressive plan of growth.

Provided rollout support for a Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) cryptographic project involving numerous Federal agencies requiring secure encrypted transport over public media (the internet). This project offered both peer to peer and S/MIME certificate services to at least 200,000 users, with authentication to a CA with encryption using private keys on Smart Card and OS key storage. Provided valuable metrics and engineering insight to the development and testing teams during the design phase. This LDAPv3 type of directory service is currently the leading technology for the provision of certificate services in environments requiring elevated security.

As SME for tech ordering at the national headquarters for a level two Federal helpdesk supporting the largest NT 4.0 network in the world. Mr. Richardson was a critical liaison between management, engineering, and tech support, tasked with the responsibility for decisions to reroute requests for on-site tech support where further troubleshooting was required, thus saving this branch of government large overhead in the form of contracted services.

As primary data center operator for a national sports organization, Mr. Richardson was able to decrease by a significant margin the loss of service to internet clients, television, and radio media communications organization. Service provided was in the form of live data feed to computer systems of media partners and to the live scoring website.

As Post Commander for several high profile corporate clients, Mr. Richardson designed procedures for criminal and injury investigations and emergency response, including documentation and reporting. After 5 years of service at over 30 high security stations, and having obtained licensure in 2 states, he has been instrumental in company profits that allowed for growth into new markets, and relationship development of new and important engagements.

Through his education in the US Navy at numerous schools (accredited by both Excelsior College and Thomas Edison State College), Paul Richardson earned most of the credits for a BS in Nuclear Engineering Technology. After the military, Mr. Richardson attended UNC Pembroke, where he made Deans List or the Chancellor’s list every semester, and was offered a scholarship to participate in the NC Chancellor’s Scholar’s program which he declined and transferred to UNF in Jacksonville Fl. While at UNF, Mr. Richardson obtained hundreds of hours of laboratory time in nuclear spectroscopy, quantitative, organic, and biochemistry, genetics, molecular cellular biology and numerous other areas. He presented his senior seminar research on neuromolecular endocrinology of mammalian sexual behavior to the staff and senior students of the biology department. He was an active participant in the UNF Premed society, and is a member of the National Golden Key Honor Society, Psi Chi Honor Society in Psychology, and Kappa Delta Pi National Honors Society in Education.

Also while at UNF, Paul began working on independent degrees simultaneously, and earned the Student Affairs Leadership Scholarship. Paul completed a BS in Premed Biology as well as a BA in Psychology from UNF, and was awarded separate diplomas. Paul completed the NC State University MBA program, with special concentration in IT management, and then a second masters degree, the M.Ed. in Instructional Technology from Texas Tech University.

Mr. Richardson is a published poet and academic researcher, and enjoys debate on epistemology, ethics, and other metaphysical topics. His most recent personal interests are in quantitative modeling of economic agents, object oriented class creation in action script, and cognitive interaction of Baddeley’s memory model with e-Learning. Paul is currently a doctoral student studying Instructional Technology at Texas Tech University. He has published interactive, narrated, simulation environments for e-learning which test various cognitive theories of learning, and presented his research at international conferences.