About Us · Key Personnel                                                                                           

David A. Shaffer - President

David Shaffer is the President and founder of Tier One Technology Partners.

Tier One is engaged in the development, delivery, and support of technology solutions for small and mid-sized businesses and is a member of the Information Technology Alliance (ITA) as well as a Microsoft Certified Partner and Microsoft Small Business Specialist.

David is a past board member of the ITA, and is a member of the AICPA Information Technology Membership Section. He recently accepted an appointment to the board of the Carroll County Technology Council (CTC) and is the past chairperson of the CTC's CompuKids program which places recycled computers in the homes of disadvantaged children.  He was also appointed by the Carroll County Commissioners to the Carroll County Economic Development Commission in 2006 and is serving until 2009.  In February of 2008 David was named one of Baltimore's top CIO's by Smart CEO magazine.  Recent speaking engagements have included a variety of technology topics for small and medium sized businesses.

Prior to launching Tier One Technology Partners, David was the Chief Technology Officer for McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond where he managed the internal technology department of the firm. In this capacity he provided strategic planning and infrastructure design as well as managing application support, IT training and end user support.

David is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, a Microsoft Certified Professional, and is GIAC Security Essentials Certified. In 1997 he was selected for the MKS&H Leadership Training Program - a two-year intensive course of study designed to further develop the leadership skills of those committed to the vision and growth of the firm. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania.

Tier One Technology Partners is an affiliate of McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond (MKS&H), a dynamic, regional public accounting/business consulting firm with offices in Baltimore and Frederick, Maryland.

Jim Kehres - Vice President/Project Director

Jim has designed security solutions for many of Tier One's clients in both small and large environments. Jim was the lead engineer on a recent eight-month project for a private company awarded a military contract involving the design and implementation of a secure network consisting of Cisco routers, Checkpoint firewalls, and Storage Area Networks (SAN). He also recently completed a project for a large local wholesale distribution company to secure their e-business platform using SonicWall products.

Jim is a member of the AICPA Information Technology Membership Section. He is a Microsoft Certified Professional, a Certified SonicWall Security Administrator, and is GIAC Security Essentials Certified.

Prior to joining Tier One Technology Partners, Jim was the Information Technology Manager for McLean, Koehler, Sparks & Hammond (MKS&H), where he managed the internal technology department of the firm. He graduated from the MKS&H Leadership Training Program in 1999.

Jim holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science from Towson University in Maryland.

Joe Luksic - Operations Manager

Joe manages our daily service system and client response team. 

He has a combined 8 years experience working with PC repairs and networking. He is also a Microsoft Certified Professional working toward being a Microsoft Certified System Engineer with Server 2003. In the past year he has worked on several server upgrades from Windows NT to Sever 2003. Joe also enjoys giving back to his community, Before moving to Maryland he was a member of the local Fire Department and Vice President of the Lions Club.

Joe graduated Summa Cum Laude from DeVry University with a Bachelors in Information Technology.
 

Jeffrey R. Gross, CFE

Jeffrey R. Gross, CFE is a Computer Forensics Specialist. He has extensive experience in computer forensics and electronic evidence investigations and analysis in addition to litigation support. His specialties include the imaging and recovery of all electronic evidence content including deleted, covert, protected, hidden and ambient data; reconstruction of damaged or deleted data and retrieval of all evidence and activity trails; authentication of data and files; and preparing risk and vulnerability assessments and countermeasures. He is licensed and experienced with most of the forensic tools in use by the international law enforcement community including having completed advanced training through NTI.

A graduate of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice with both Undergraduate and Graduate degrees, Jeff is a Certified Fraud Examiner, a Diplomate with the American Board of Forensic Examiners, a member of the American College of Forensic Examiners and an I.A.C.I.S. Certified Forensic Computer Examiner.

Michael Kleiner - Support / Help Desk Manager

Mike  comes to Tier One with over six years of business management experience.  In his transition to an Information Technology career Mike has achieved certification as an MCP, MCSA, and MCSE (Microsoft Certified Professional, Systems Analyst and Systems Engineer). 

Mike holds a BS from Towson University and is pursuing further technology certifications.

Nicky Hubbell  - Network Administrator

Nicky comes to Tier One with a passion for technology and a desire to learn. She is a Microsoft Certified Professional as well as an Apple Certified Help Desk Specialist. Currently, Nicky is studying for her MCSA and CCNA credentials.

Nicky graduated Magna Cum Laude from DeVry University earning a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Business Information Systems.  Ask Nicky about her iPhone!!
 

Curt Petty - Field Engineer

As a previous cellular technician and Team Lead, Curt brings valuable telecomm experience to our team.  Curt has a broad electronics background and a life-long passion for technology, which has seen him build and test literally hundreds of workstations. 

Curt has an AA degree from Marshal University and is pursuing further technology certifications.

John Mooney - Field Engineer

In his twelve years of Electronics and IT experience, John has worked on projects ranging from secured, wide-area medical and legal networks, nationwide weather station networks and industrial controls to digital recording studios. He has certifications from Microsoft, ACCSCT, and The Electronic Industries Association in areas including Electronics, Robotics, Automated Systems and Microsoft Operating Systems. He has over five years of hands-on experience in server management and network architecture.

John is always pursuing additional certifications.  He is also an independent recording artist, and is currently building his home recording studio.  Ask him anything about music or sound!

Jason Cantrell - Field Engineer / Support Specialist

Jason is a proud father of two and is Microsoft Certified. He comes to us with over 4 years of  experience in the Information Technology industry.  Jason is proud to call himself an IT Generalist with skills and knowledge in  software/hardware support, web/graphic design, networking and building and configuring servers. Jason says, “I like to stay active... no better way than learning something new or improving something old.”

Jason has a passion for customer service and will be happy to answer any of your IT questions - so bring them on!