About

I'm going to be honest, I don't like writing or talking about myself, but if you're on this page I think that means you want to know more about me so here we go.

I like to tell people that I'm a hunter both online and in real life.

Before we get to that though, I should probably actually introduce myself a bit. I'm Andrew. I live just outside of Nashville, TN with my wife Kristin, our son, and our two dogs. I love them all so dearly and nothing that I do would be worth it if I didn't have them.

Professionally, I lead threat hunting at SentinelOne. But I am a man of many hobbies and interests. The world has always been so fascinating to me. I love to learn, explore, play, and challenge myself. I think I'm a glutton for punishment sometimes because I'll do something simply because it sucks and I love it.

How I Got Here

After high school I tried college, realized I hated school — but I love to learn, funny how that works — and then enlisted in the Marine Corps. I was an Intelligence Specialist, but I deployed as a HUMINT analyst. I credit the Marines with a lot of who I am today. Some of the best and worst experiences of my life came during those eight years. I learned so much about myself, the world, life, death, and I wouldn't change anything about it.

When I got out, I found my way into cybersecurity. Back then there weren't boot camps or college degrees, you just had to learn the old fashioned way, on the job. I started in a 24/7 SOC as an L1 analyst. Worked my way up; moonlighting as a SIEM engineer, then became an L2 analyst, Incident Responder, Lead Analyst, SOC manager.

I've always been called to serve, I think that's why I wanted to be in the Marines when I was a kid. I think it's why I got into cybersecurity also. I am a defender, always have been. The longer I've been in the business of protecting people the more I have tried to be "left of bang", trying to be proactive. I want to find evil before harm is done. This is what led me to where I am today.

I currently lead the threat hunting service for SentinelOne. Threat hunting has been the perfect fit for me in cybersecurity — it is the right combination of exploration, research, and technical expertise that tickles my brain. Over the years I've been an individual contributor, I've also been a leader, scaling teams and building out operations from nothing.

Who Am I Really?

So far I've given you a little about me but I feel like it's mostly my resume. There's more to me than that.

I mentioned at the start that I'm a hunter online and in real life. You know I'm a threat hunter, but after I got out of the Marines I found a love for hunting.

While I was deployed, my best friend reached out and asked if I wanted to go on a hunting trip in Montana with him after I got out. Something about the Marines made me love the outdoors even more than I did growing up. Self-sufficiency, the struggle, connecting with nature, it all sounded like something I'd be interested in, so I said let's do it. A year went by and I found myself in Montana chasing mule deer and elk.

Since that hunt, I've become a little obsessed. I've hunted in seven different states, I love to hunt in my home state of Tennessee, and I hunt as often as I can. There's something about harvesting your own food that speaks to me. Knowing the entire journey of where my food came from and the pride I feel when I make dinner for friends and family and can tell them where the meat came from.

Hunting changed my life. So much that I actually started a podcast called EndurHunt where I share my journey. I'm not an expert, but I want to encourage people like me, who didn't grow up hunting but are curious about it, to give it a try. I want to be an example so that others can see that if I can do it, they can too.

Life isn't all about hunting though, I love to exercise. I HATED running in the Marines, HATED it. I love it now, I think it's because I can do it on my own terms. I love to exercise in general. I've done Live Hard (IYKYK). Lifting, running, it just feels good.

As if that weren't enough, wait there's more.

I'm a nerd at heart, a tinkerer. I love working on my house, doing renovations and building things. I love technology (shocking I know). I enjoy tinkering. I have a home lab, 3D printer, I like to play with Arduinos and Raspberry Pis, I started doing home automations with ZigBee and Home Assistant last year, and then there's AI which has been a really fun rabbithole to go down. AI is terrifying and exhilarating all at once, and I'm making the most of it.

You thought we were done? Nope.

I also like to read. Mostly nonfiction, but I fell in love with the James Reece novels by Jack Carr. I'm a pragmatic person so nonfiction speaks to me, but getting lost in a good novel can teach you things you can't get from a how to book.