The Official Web Site of James R. Cummins III

Career Objective


I am seeking employment as Manager of Information Technology reporting to senior management and expect to be responsible for the planning, implementation and management of information systems, network infrastructure and end-user support. In addition, I will manage the activities of network analysts, LAN administrators, user support analysts and other technical staff.

Executive Summary


As a senior level technical manager, I have been an essential resource for my employers and their clients. My extensive experience and knowledge of information technology allows me to analyze business requirements, select appropriate solutions and implement them to meet current and future needs. Once a project is completed, my strong customer service background ensures continued success and end-user satisfaction. By being a mentor and advocate for my technical staff, I have been very successful in recruiting and retaining talented individuals, providing them with the training and resources they need to excel at what they do.

Professional Experience

Self-employed, Bow, NH 2001 - Current

Information Technology Consultant

Since TransactionWorks closed, I have been doing independent consulting projects for several businesses in the Concord, NH area. Most recently I completed a network and office automation project and designed, developed and implemented a web site project for a candidate for political office. I am currently in the middle of a short-term contract to design and implement a corporate web site and extranet.
TransactionWorks, Inc. Manchester, NH 1999 - 2001

Operations Manager and System Engineer

When TransactionWorks, Inc. (TWI) needed to develop a product support operation for their on-line trading software, they looked to me to build it from the ground up. Our product provided complete front to back functionality for accepting, approving, routing and filling a full range of equities and options. A complete, distributed system required a minimum of 24 servers and four load-balancing routers for fully fault tolerant operation. I developed support policies and procedures, staffing requirements, training materials, operations and other technical documentation, and detailed specifications and configurations for customer production and staging systems, including network infrastructure. During product research and development, I provided technical support and consulting for software engineers and quality assurance teams and implemented a QA lab using imaging technology to facilitate system rebuilds. During product installations and upgrades, I went onsite to ensure that all systems were installed and performing correctly. When TWI's system engineer left, I accepted the additional responsibility for all corporate information technology support including enterprise messaging, database management, software source data management, data integrity and recovery, LAN/WAN connectivity, network security, and all server and workstation administration and maintenance.
Columbia University, Computing and Technology Applications Program New York, NY, Spring 1999

Instructor - Advanced Windows NT Server Administration (QC5303)

The CTA program at Columbia is highly regarded as a means for technology professionals to expand their technical skills in an in-depth, hands-on environment. My extensive experience with production Windows NT server implementations provided my class with practical, real world applications of this technology far beyond what they would normally expect from a continuing education course. For 15 weeks the participants learned not only the mechanics of server administration, but also the analysis and planning that is crucial to a successful implementation. While the curriculum was not specifically modeled towards certification preparation, several students were able to successfully complete Microsoft Certification Exam 067, Implementing and Supporting NT Server 4.0, before the completion of the course. As a considerable bonus, I was able to negotiate the inclusion of several of my junior staff members in the class, giving them the opportunity to pursue their professional development without the distractions that are inevitable during a normal workday. The course received very high evaluations with most participants characterizing it as both the most challenging (assessments were based on class participation, a midterm, a final term paper and a group final project) and the most valuable to their future pursuits in information technology.
Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, NY, 1988 - 1999

1995 - 1999 Manager of Network Resources
1996 - 1997 Network Infrastructure Manager
1993 - 1995 Senior Desktop Computing/LAN Analyst
1991 - 1992 Oracle DBA and Security Administrator (SCT Banner)
1988 - 1993 Microcomputer Analyst


During my 12-year tenure at Teachers College I was instrumental in creating what are now considered essential information technology resources. The proliferation of desktop computing resources under my direction completely changed the way Teachers College conducted its business. An initial population of fewer than 100 microcomputers of very limited abilities grew to over 800 powerful business machines connecting to resources on over 30 local servers and across the Internet.

The following are highlights of my accomplishments at Teachers College, Columbia University:
  • Planned, budgeted, configured, purchased, implemented, allocated and supported all network resources including microcomputers for all administrative personnel (including faculty), file and print servers, application servers, database servers and networked printers

  • Initiated, planned and implemented:

    • the technical support help desk supporting all college personnel and faculty

    • the first Teachers College web server and all subsequent servers named www.tc.columbia.edu

    • enterprise-wide client/server messaging, calendaring and e-mail

    • comprehensive anti-virus protection for all microcomputers and servers

    • microcomputer rollouts using imaging technology

    • the migration from Novell Netware 3.11 to Microsoft Windows NT 3.51 and then to Windows NT 4.0 including all aspects of NT Domain architecture, DHCP and WINS

    • public access information kiosks

    • a network server operations center with the college's first structured cable project

  • Managed the development of the first on-line course resource project, ClassWeb

  • Coordinated and supervised web content development including guidelines for implementing official on-line publications

  • Created the first comprehensive network documentation in 20 years detailing every segment of thick coax, thin coax, transceivers, repeaters, UTP hubs, cascaded hubs, bridges, switches and routers

  • Worked on the vendor selection committee evaluating proposals for the design and implementation of the new multi-million dollar campus structured cable plant

  • Served on the Professional Staff Executive Committee and chaired the sub-committee on benefits and compensation resulting in a negotiated marketplace adjustment for professional staff of an additional 10% pay increase over 5 years above normal cost of living adjustments

  • Created a career track for technical support analysts with clearly identified titles, responsibilities, salary grades and promotion criteria

  • Successfully lobbied for, created, hired and managed a full-service technical support staff with 2 entry-level positions and 4 junior/senior level positions

A significant challenge during this period of rapid technology implementation was to recruit and retain capable support staff. I have had great success identifying intelligent, articulate, literate individuals with an aptitude for technology who become exceptional information technology professionals. By providing the proper training, mentoring and work environment, I have created competent support teams who understand and share my customer service philosophy.
GE Consulting Services, Inc., Albany, NY, 1986 - 1988

PC Application Developer/Technical Writer

At GE Consulting Services, I refined my professional writing skills producing user, system and project documentation. As my business knowledge expanded, I was called upon to write feasibility studies and proposal responses. Although desktop publishing was still in its infancy, I demonstrated that I could produce marketing and promotional materials, particularly the vice president's slide presentations, for a fraction of the cost and time required to contract it from an outside firm. My microcomputer expertise was also put to good use designing applications for internal use. My consultant skill tracking system and project estimating model were essential tools for calculating multi-million dollar consulting proposals.
The Software Group, Ballston Lake, NY, 1984 - 1986

Senior Technical Support Representative/Application Development Specialist

At The Software Group, I developed many of the customer service and technical skills I still use today. Initially hired to provide customer service and technical support on the phone, I quickly became the senior technical resource, providing support to other technical staff and the corporate sales force. I applied my knowledge of the integrated PC software Enable to create trade show demonstrations, the internal client database, order entry system, bug tracking system and billing/accounts receivable system. When hardware vendors bidding on government contracts selected Enable, I was sent to develop functional demonstrations, usually with no notice and short deadlines.