I co-founded Macktez in the mid-1990s, a technology consulting firm that helps non-profits, startups, and creative companies navigate periods of great change. I believe technology is only half the equation. The other half is listening, learning, and understanding what people actually need. Here's what has my attention right now.
Solving the real problem, not the technical one
After enough years in this work, I keep seeing the same pattern: teams confuse the technical problem with the real problem. A client calls and says they need a new system. What they usually mean is that their teams can't talk to each other, data is getting lost in the handoff, and nobody knows who owns what. So at Macktez we listen first. Not to the technical spec, but to the frustration and the workarounds people have built. Only then do we design the system.
Talking technology leadership through Tête-à-Tech
I host Tête-à-Tech, our in-person interview series exploring technology, AI, and the everyday challenges of growth. I also go on podcasts to have the same kind of conversation. I recently joined Pam Jordan on Pivot to Profit to talk through my path from architecture student to CEO, and the core security practices even small organizations should put in place from day one. Building trust in technology leadership is the thread that runs through all of it.
Cultural institutions I'm invested in
I serve as board president of UnionDocs, a center for documentary art that recently moved from Williamsburg to Queens, bought a building, and is finishing a major capital campaign and renovation. I'm also a founding board member of The Victorian Web Foundation, which supports the longest-running website on Victorian arts and culture, dating back to 1988 with over a hundred thousand pages. These organizations look different on the surface, but they share something essential: they cultivate thoughtful, informed discussion about the things that matter most.
On the lighter side: concealed lighting and craft
When I want to work with my hands, I've been experimenting with hidden lighting for the Vitsoe 606 shelving system. I don't like glare or bare light sources, so I've spent the last couple of years testing parts and combinations to nestle a seamless glow into the nooks of the system. It connects to a longer love of handwork, craft, and materiality that also shows up in martial arts, jewelry design, and silversmithing.
Want to talk through any of this? You can find my work at Macktez or connect with me on LinkedIn.
Last updated June 2026.