Hi, I'm Vicki Stanfield
IT Support & Systems Administration Professional
Results-driven IT Support and Systems Admin professional with extensive experience troubleshooting hardware, software, and network issues across Windows, MacOS, and Linux environments. Proficient in administering cloud services, Google Workspace, Microsoft O365, and implementing MDM solutions. Skilled in Python scripting for automation and system enhancements, consistently improving operational efficiency and supporting business objectives. Proficient in using CM tools including Ansible, Chef, and Salt. Takes pride in providing exceptional customer support and writing excellent documentation.
Professional Experience
Deep expertise in IT systems administration, security, and DevOps across diverse industries
Years of Experience by Discipline
Technical Support Manager
Nov 2021 - Present- Directed Tier 2/3 technical support operations with 96% 5-star ratings
- Deployed a self-hosted LLM platform (Ollama + Open WebUI) behind a TLS reverse proxy, with localhost-only container bindings, so sensitive data can be analyzed with AI without going to third-party services
- Used AI-assisted analysis for security operations: triaging IDS (Snort), rootkit-scanner and antivirus alerts, separating false positives from real findings, and producing SOC 2 endpoint evidence
- Contributed to Zuar's MCP integrations for Zuar Portal and Zuar Runner, letting AI agents operate ETL jobs and dashboards through the platform APIs
- Resolved issues across Dockerized cloud-hosted environments in AWS and DigitalOcean, managing infrastructure as code with Terraform
- Developed Python library for automating system administration tasks
- Performed complex PostgreSQL migrations spanning multiple versions
Information Security / Application Support Engineer
Oct 2015 - Oct 2021- Mitigated data risks for 160,000 students and 6,000 staff across 64 locations
- Built and maintained Tenable Nessus cluster for vulnerability assessment
- Designed Splunk cluster for security event monitoring
- Implemented multi-factor authentication using DUO with SAML configuration
- Transitioned malware solutions from McAfee to Sophos to Cisco AMP
DevOps & Linux Systems Engineer
Jun 2014 - Oct 2015- NextGear Capital: Supported 40+ developers in CI/CD environment using Docker, GitHub, ELK, and AWS
- Roche Diagnostics: Administered Linux systems, managed Logical Volumes and HP-UX connectivity
- Navient: Supported SAS 9.3/9.4 environment migration and Management Console
Linux Engineer
Jan 2012 - Jun 2014- Supported 50-75 customers in managed cloud environment
- Configured Apache, Nginx, MySQL, PostgreSQL systems
- Performed server administration using Chef scripts
ePortal Administrator
Feb 2008 - Jan 2012- Administered Oracle CoreID, Oracle Virtual Directory, and WebCenter
- Managed F5 load balancing with 150 Apache-Tomcat instances
- Maintained Red Hat LDAP for government environment
Microsoft Systems Administrator
May 2006 - Feb 2008- Administered Active Directory and hardened server defenses
- Managed Google appliances and BigIP F5 load balancers
Technical Skills
A comprehensive toolkit built over decades of hands-on experience
Click any skill to see years of experience
Certifications
Certified Red Hat Engineer (RHCE)
#806200695901889
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP)
#338020
Oracle Solaris Certified Associate (OSCA)
Education
Academic foundation complementing decades of practical experience
Boston University
MS, Computer Information Systems
Indiana University
BA, English - Writing Concentration
U.S. Army Ordnance Advanced Course
Ordnance Officer
Code Showcase
Sample scripts and configurations demonstrating automation and infrastructure expertise
Python Automation Script - System Health Check
Reports CPU, memory, and disk usage as JSON and exits non-zero when a threshold is crossed, so cron and monitoring tools can act on it
#!/usr/bin/env python3
"""
System Health Check
Reports CPU, memory, and disk usage as JSON and exits non-zero when any
metric crosses its threshold, so cron and monitoring tools can act on it.
"""
import argparse
import json
import sys
from datetime import datetime, timezone
import psutil
def get_system_health(path="/"):
"""Gather system health metrics (one call per source)."""
mem = psutil.virtual_memory()
disk = psutil.disk_usage(path)
return {
"timestamp": datetime.now(timezone.utc).isoformat(),
"cpu_percent": psutil.cpu_percent(interval=1),
"memory": {
"total": mem.total,
"available": mem.available,
"percent": mem.percent,
},
"disk": {
"path": path,
"total": disk.total,
"used": disk.used,
"percent": disk.percent,
},
}
def check_thresholds(health, cpu_max=80, mem_max=85, disk_max=90):
"""Return an alert message for every metric over its threshold."""
checks = [
("CPU", health["cpu_percent"], cpu_max),
("Memory", health["memory"]["percent"], mem_max),
(f"Disk {health['disk']['path']}", health["disk"]["percent"], disk_max),
]
return [
f"{name} usage {value:.1f}% exceeds {limit}%"
for name, value, limit in checks
if value > limit
]
def main():
parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description="System health check")
parser.add_argument("--path", default="/", help="filesystem to check")
parser.add_argument("--cpu-max", type=float, default=80)
parser.add_argument("--mem-max", type=float, default=85)
parser.add_argument("--disk-max", type=float, default=90)
args = parser.parse_args()
health = get_system_health(args.path)
print(json.dumps(health, indent=2))
alerts = check_thresholds(health, args.cpu_max, args.mem_max, args.disk_max)
for alert in alerts:
print(f"ALERT: {alert}", file=sys.stderr)
return 1 if alerts else 0
if __name__ == "__main__":
sys.exit(main())Testimonials
What colleagues and clients say about working together
“What sets Vicki apart is her approach to problem-solving. When a pipeline breaks or a complex data flow hits a snag, she doesn't just apply a temporary fix. She digs into the root cause to ensure the solution is built for scale. Her work with Zuar Runner is consistently marked by a "future-proof" philosophy--ensuring that once an issue is resolved, the architecture is more robust than it was before the disruption. Vicki is a master of cutting through the noise. She has a keen instinct for when an email thread has reached its limit and will proactively jump on a Zoom call to resolve bottlenecks in real-time. This bias toward direct communication significantly reduces project friction. She is an invaluable asset to any data team--not just for her ability to navigate the intricacies of Zuar Runner, but for her commitment to quality and her refreshingly collaborative spirit. She doesn't just fix problems; she helps to build better systems.”
Lesley Willard
Sr. Business Intelligence Analyst, Catapult
Special Recognition
- Technical Author of book voted one of top three 'Most Indispensable Linux Book' in 2001, 2002, and 2003 by Linux Journal
- AI/Robotics Officer, U.S. Army Ordnance Missile and Munitions Center and School — Led expert systems development for HAWK missile diagnostics and V&V for TOW Missile subsystem; served as Executive Officer of a 325-person company
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