July 2005 to Present Computer Technology
Kent State University

Tim came to NEOnet after serving seven years in various technical positions at Tallmadge City Schools where he also attended school and was part of the TWE (Technical Work Experience) program from his sophomore year until the time at which he graduated high school. He then attended Kent State University while working full time where he obtained a degree in computer technology concentrating his studies on network technology. Tim is primarily responsible for the server infrastructure at NEOnet including server hardware, virtual environment, guest operating systems, email services, storage and backup services. He spends much of his time troubleshooting, maintaining and updating these systems to ensure the best customer experience possible. When Tim isn’t working he likes to maintain an active lifestyle, be it outdoors or in the gym. When the weather is fair you can often find him with his canine companion on one of the many hiking trails in Northeast Ohio or cycling on the Towpath or Metro Parks Bike and Hike Trails. If he’s not being active he likes to take time to relax and in particular enjoys learning about history, science and as you might expect technology. He also enjoys traveling and hopes to visit as many National Parks as possible throughout his life time during these travels.

1998-2003, 2008 to Present

National Institute of Technology in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Cyrus is a Systems Administrator for the NEOnet Technical Services team and brings over 20 years of experience in the IT field to the team. He started at NEOnet as part of the NEOnet Tech for a day program that came into existence in the late 90s. At that time, districts were being outfitted by the Ohio SchoolNet wiring project and found themselves with new district wide computer networks with Internet access and several new technology needs. During this time, Cyrus helped districts setup some of their first district file servers and computer labs. He worked with many district staff, several whom were taking on new roles as Technology Directors or Coordinators for the first time. Having graduated from Green High School, he even found himself assisting some of his former teachers who were now in charge of district technology.

In 2003 Cyrus took a position as Assistant Technology Director at Massillon City Schools. At Massillon, he used much of his knowledge gained while working with NEOnet districts to help Massillon improve their district network. During his time there, he helped implement many new technologies which improved the district’s network, saved the district money, and helped work more efficiently. Many of these technologies such as VMware, Cisco VoIP, and Linux have since become mainstays in school districts and data centers over the last 10 years.

He returned to NEOnet in 2008 to assume several new roles. He now administers multiple Cisco VoIP clusters for many of the NEOnet member districts, as well as the City of Cuyahoga Falls. He has obtained his OnBase System Administrator Certification and maintains the NEOnet OnBase system which many districts utilize for electronic document archival. Cyrus also assists in maintaining the OpenVMS Alpha system, as well as several applications used by the NEOnet Fiscal department. Additionally, he helps maintain the NEOnet website, as well as several ancillary services.

March 2014 to Present
B.S. Computer Information Systems, Summa cum laude
The University of Akron

Ben works as a Technical Software Support Specialist in the Technical Services team at NEOnet. He primarily manages the edge firewall, SCCM, Exchange, and Active Directory related components. Prior to joining NEOnet, he worked for a manufacturing company in Kent, Ohio as the Network Administrator. He has worked as the IT Administrator for the non-commercial WSTB-FM (owned by Streetsboro City Schools) since graduating in 2008, as well as doing IT consulting on the side since graduating from UA in 2012. Among the Technical Team, Ben is most known for writing many scripts to automate complicated tasks, freeing him and other team members to focus on more important responsibilities. He enjoys learning new technologies and continuing to evolve his current programming capabilities. In his spare time he is developing skills in many different web languages such as PHP, HTML5, CSS, AJAX, jQuery, and even integrating such languages with a Powershell-driven API.

Prior to NEOnet, Jay was a Geek Squad Agent at Best Buy where he would troubleshoot client issues. Jay has a wide range of experience as a computer technician. In his spare time, he likes to play games, learn new skills, and spend time with family.

Justice was eight years old when he discovered his passion for technology. He began pursuing this passion by first enrolling in the Information Technology course at Maplewood Career Center. During his junior year, Justice interned for a Northeast Ohio company where he supported teachers and administrators in multiple school districts, including Tuscarawas, Portage, Stark and Summit. In his free time, Justice enjoys gaming and spending time with his golden retriever, friends and family.

2017 to Present B.S. Management Information Systems
The University of Akron

Joe is a senior network support specialist at NEOnet. He is responsible for supporting the NEOnet core network infrastructure. Joe graduated from The University of Akron with a bachelor’s degree in Management Information Systems and an associate’s degree in Computer Information Systems. While attending The University of Akron he worked as a system administrator. Joe joined NEOnet after working 17 years as a network administrator for a local municipality. In his spare time Joe enjoys running, traveling and spending time with his family.

Aly graduated from Kent State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Studies. Prior to NEOnet, Aly worked as a Marketing Coordinator at an IT Managed Services Provider. In her spare time, Aly enjoys hanging out with family, walking her dogs, and gaming.

Tristan obtained his Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems from the University of Akron in 2015. He spent 5 and a half years working in the Cuyahoga Falls City School technology department. Tristan enjoys exploring the local metro parks with his family and as a recent home buyer stays busy with home improvement projects.

Before joining NEOnet, Tyler worked as a TWE technician at the Stow-Munroe Falls High School, and he worked as a computer technician for the Cuyahoga Falls City School District. He got his CompTIA A+ certification in 2017 and graduated from high school in the spring of 2018. He is currently working for the Manchester School District.

Christian Walker was born and raised in Pensacola, Florida with his older sister and younger brother. Coming from a military-oriented family, he joined the U.S. Army as a Tactical Satellite Communications Systems Operator and deployed to Iraq in 2003 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). He spent six years in the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina, three years in Darmstadt, Germany, one year in Iraq, and subsequently, returning full-circle with two years in an Airborne Cavalry Regiment at Ft. Bragg. After the Army, he worked in the Middle East (Afghanistan, Iraq, Qatar, Jordan, Djibouti, and Dubai) for seven years as a Civilian Contractor with the Department of Defense. Christian recently re-located from New Bern, North Carolina to Kent, Ohio to be closer to his sister. He loves the location and the life that Ohio has to offer. In his spare time, he enjoys Welding and Machining, building motorcycles or custom cars, and spending time with my family as often as he can!

Nate Coffey has always had an interest in technology owing much of that to video games early on, going back to learning how to use a Commodore 64 when he was five years old. By high school, he felt going to Pioneer Career & Technology Center for junior and senior years would help develop the skills needed to work in programming, networking, and systems administration.

Starting his senior year at Pioneer CTC in January 1999 to February 2022, Nate became a Computer Technician before becoming the Systems Administrator for Shelby City Schools for a combined 23 years of service. With many of the skills learned and developed from both Pioneer CTC and Shelby, Nate then became the Chief Technology Officer from March 2022 to June 2023 for North Central Ohio Computer Cooperative (NCOCC) / Heartland Council of Governments before joining NEOnet as part of our merger.

Nate enjoys systems integration and administration as well as providing guidance and insight into technology and cyber security to other organizations and school districts, and in his off hours still enjoys gaming, movies, and cooking

Mark Baughman has worked in the IT area for over 29 years. His experience includes Windows desktop & server support, both hardware and software, along with Nortel Meridian PBX’s, Cisco VOIP, VMware, Meraki, and network cabling.

Kelly Burdette graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor’s in computer science. Prior to NEOnet, Kelly worked as a Network Administrator in both education and healthcare. Outside of work, Kelly enjoys spending time with her family and her dog Mia. In her free time, she likes caring for her plants and going to concerts.

Mitch grew up around Summit County and has spent the majority of his career in the Telecommunications field. He enjoys Soccer, the Outdoors, and for the time being, home repairs.