CTO, CIO, CINO

I have been an "online" and an avid technologist since the 1970s, and have seen several cycles of technology approaches and methodologies rise and fall and rise fall, through at least 3-4 cycles of "what once was old is new again". I am always looking for opportunities to use technologies to solve real-world problems, with the goal of improving the overall human condition for all. This section focuses on my senior-level technical leadership experiences.

Overview

I have been energetically involved with technologies in many fields most of my life. I became engages in computer related technologies and online since around 1979 (what would later become the Internet). I have worked in almost every IT/CS related role over the decades from hands-on through C-level positions over these decades. Working as an independent contractor in corp-to-corp and W2 contracts, or as full-time dedicated employee for many startups from the ground up, through small-to-medium-businesses (SMBs), to large multinational corporate enterprise environments with 10,000+ employees, including Fortune 1000, 500, and 100 companies.

I am currently juggling a number of business ventures, some of my own making, and others that are the visions of others that I am helping them bring to reality and get across the technical finish line. I recently did a significant amount of work for LearningMate, and am currently working on other endeavors.

Currently (as of January 2023):

  • Chief Technology Officer for ManufacturingPower and iNSUPPLi (startups)
  • Founder, CEO, Executive Director, Chair, and CTO of the 501(c)3 non-profit charity RPG Research (200 volunteer staff across 6 continents)
  • Founder and President of RPG.LLC and related enterprises. (startup with 6 employees)
  • Founder and president of Dev 2 Dev Portal LLC and Hawke Enterprising dba.

My paper for the SANS Institute was greatly influential on one of Google's development team decisions related to Virtual Private Network technologies.

I am constantly pushing myself to learn new technologies with the goal of application for practical human or business needs. My technical resume is obnoxiously long from all of the different technologies I have implemented from starting at scratch and research and development (R&D) all the way through to high availability (99.999+%) production implementations.

Testimonials

Hawke is one of the "very few CTOs who possesses not only the ability to execute complex technical tasks, but the high-level soft knowledge that maintains team cohesion, communication with non-technical partners, and essential support in investor pitch meetings" --Ben Dobyns, CEO, The Fantasy Network, and Zombie Orpheus Entertainment - full letter here: http://www.hawkerobinson.com/testimonials/hawke-as-cto-ben-dobyns-the-fantasy-network

"The Grandfather of Therapeutic Gaming. He has been tracking and involved in the therapeutic and educational application of role-playing games longer than anyone else.” –Adam Johns, Game to Grow, Executive Director, Lead Facilitator.

"unequivocally recommend Hawke as a person of high integrity and one of the very best technicians that I have ever worked with." Phillip Hillian, Director of IT, Devon Energy  -- full testimonial here: http://www.hawkerobinson.com/testimonials/unequivocally-recommend-hawke-as-a-person-of-high-integrity-and-one-of-the-very-best-technicians-that-i-have-ever-worked-with-phillip-hillian-director-of-it-devon-energy

"Hawke is largely responsible for the developer I am today. " --Rob Zazueta, Developer -- full testimonial here: http://www.hawkerobinson.com/testimonials/hawke-is-largely-responsible-for-the-developer-i-am-today-rob-zazueta-developer

As CTO, "Hawke was an outstanding leader with the highest level of integrity." --Brian Scardina, Director of Information Security at Global Payments Inc. -- full testimonial here: http://www.hawkerobinson.com/testimonials/an-outstanding-leader-with-the-highest-level-of-integrity-brian-scardina-director-of-information-security-at-global-payments-inc

" I credit our success to the enterprise-level knowledge, support, and experience that Mr. Robinson brought to our company. " - Zombie Orpheus Entertainment -- full testimonial here: http://www.hawkerobinson.com/testimonials/i-credit-our-success-to-the-enterprise-level-knowledge-support-and-experience-that-mr-robinson-brought-to-our-company-zombie-orpheus-entertainment

By The Numbers

  • Uptime Standards I designed, built, and maintained: 99.999% (5 9's or better) for HA enterprise environments from 1998 onward)
  • Largest startup fund began with: $47M (Fatbrain.com (number 3 in online book sales industry) -> MightyWords (became number 1 in eBook sales industry), acquired later by Barnes & Noble).
    • Largest department/company budget I was directly responsible for: $20M/year (MightWords).
    • Largest single check I signed for: $1.3M (MightyWords).
  • Largest direct-report technical department I directly built from scratch and managed as CTO: 35 direct onsite (+20 offshore) technical reports (MightyWords). 2nd largest (as Senior Team Lead): 25 across USA and offshore (LearningMate).
  • Largest company-wide direct reports (as Executive Director): 200 direct reports across 6 continents(RPG Research).
  • Largest company enterprise infrastructure I single-handedly audited through direct contract (Dev 2 Dev Portal LLC) by employee count: 10,000+ employees (Devon Energy).

Fortune Companies Direct Work As Employee or Contractor

Example Fortune Companies I Worked For Either as FTE or Contractor:

Fortune/Global Top 10

Fortune/Global Top 50

  • AT&T
  • Microsoft
  • Dell Technologies

Fortune/Global 100

  • Dell Technologies
  • Coca-Cola

Fortune/Global 500

  • US West / Centurylink / Qwest
  • Sun Microsystems

Fortune 1000

  • Swire (Coca Cola)

Fortune Companies Worked On Projects With

Fortune companies I worked with in various degrees of partnership on projects:

Fortune/Global Top 10

  • Amazon
  • AT&T
  • International Business Machines (IBM)

Fortune/Global Top 100

  • IBM (Redbooks)
  • Microsoft
  • Oracle

Fortune/Global Top 500

Fortune/Global Top 1000

Managed Them As a Vendor/VAR

AT&T

US West / QWest / Centurylink

Oracle

Sun Microsystems

IBM

Narrative Highlights

John Hancock Life Insurance

American Automotive Institute and Dodge Certification Center

Franklin Covey

US West / QWest / Century Link

Novell

Internet Shopping Network / USA Networks

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Fatbrain / MightyWords

Devon Energy

AT&T

Dev 2 Dev Portal LLC / Hawke Enterprising dba

LearningMate

ManufacturingPower