I earned my BS in applied mathematics with a secondary school mathematics teaching certification. I stayed two additional years to earn a Master's degree with a concentration in operations research. After graduation, I was offered a position at AT&T Bell Laboratories as a systems engineer, and upon AT&T's divestiture went to Bell Communications Research Division (Bellcore)—the section of the old Bell Labs owned by the regional telephone companies. In 1997 Bellcore was purchased by SAIC and renamed Telcordia Technologies. Telcordia provides software, engineering, consulting, and training services to optimize the performance of communication networks worldwide, and now has many international clients in addition to retaining the original telephone companies.

As a systems engineer, I have been involved in a wide variety of projects. Due to the varied nature of the work, companies that hire systems engineers look for individuals with well-rounded backgrounds, including proof of the ability to define a problem, analyze it, interact with many others, propose solutions, and communicate them clearly. Thus the wide assortment of applied mathematics, theoretical mathematics, science, and education courses that I took at Stony Brook have all been useful, often indirectly, in allowing me to succeed at my job.

Over the years, my systems engineering work has continued while my role as a telecommunications consultant has increased. As there is increased competition in the telecommunications industry and the merging of technologies such as telephony, internet, cable, etc., Telcordia is called upon to solve complex technical, engineering, and strategic issues.