I'm a Raleigh native, and proud to be a Southerner and an American.

I tend to be reserved, polite, good-natured, unassuming, and reflective.

Over a decade ago, my heart's desire was for ora et labora ("prayer and work" - the Latin is borrowed from St. Benedict). Specifically my desire was for a life of prayer, solitude, contemplation, work, and silence in a Carthusian monastery. But a vocation is not something one can forcibly make happen to oneself. Within little more than a year of testing what I thought was a vocation, I met my wife, Joann. Getting married was the best thing I've ever done, and I find the desires I cultivated back then satisfied now – simply in more commonplace ways. At the time of this writing, we are soon expecting our first child, and we're overjoyed.

Before that episode of my life I studied Architecture, and Art & Design at the School of Design at NC State. The computer is to the information age what the skyscraper was to the industrial age – hence my adoption of the web and programming as a design medium. I'm fascinated by the distinctly human process of designing and creating.

I am a reader. My current reading list is varied between some theology, a lot of history and business, a long list of ancient Greek classics, and a few good novels.

I have a dog, a Bichon Frise named Jolly, who teaches me a lot about innocence and simplicity.

I like hiking and birding with my wife, painting, running, and biking, and I think Joseph Pilates devised a pretty cool system of exercise, which I also enjoy. Who needs exercise equipment?

I think the best qualities to pursue as a worker are focus, joy, and pride of workmanship. The more I get to know the folks with whom I work, the more I see these qualities.

For Atlantic BT

Jon has worked professionally in the web industry since 2004. As a programmer, he develops data-driven web applications using C# and ASP.Net, SQL Server, XML, XSL, JavaScript, jQuery, AJAX, XHTML, and CSS. A large part of his experience has dealt with the development and implementation of web content management applications. In 1999 he earned a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Architecture and a Bachelor of Art and Design from the NCSU School of Design, and in 2004 he earned a Diploma of Higher Education in IT / Web Development from ECPI College of Technology. He holds Microsoft Certifications in web development and .Net technology (MCPD, MCTS).