It is with mixed emotions that I am letting everyone know that I’m no longer associated with The OpenNMS Group.

Two years ago I was in a bad car accident. I suffered some major injuries which required 33 nights in the hospital, five surgeries and several months in physical therapy. What was surprising is that while I had always viewed myself as somewhat indispensable to the OpenNMS Project, it got along fine without me.

Also during this time, The OpenNMS Group was acquired. For fifteen years we had survived on the business plan of “spend less money than you earn”. While it ensured the longevity of the company and the project, it didn’t allow much room for us to pursue ideas because we had no way to fund them. We simply did not have the resources.

Since the acquisition, both the company and the project have grown substantially, and this was during a global pandemic. With OpenNMS in such a good place I began to think, for the first time in twenty years, about other options.

I started working with OpenNMS in September of 2001. I refer to my professional career before then as “Act I”, with my time at OpenNMS as “Act II”. I’m now ready to see what “Act III” has in store.

While I’m excited about the possibilities, I will miss working with the OpenNMS team. They are an amazing group of people, and it will be hard to replace the role they played in my life. I’m also eternally grateful to the OpenNMS Community, especially the guys in the Order of the Green Polo who kept the project alive when we were starting out. You are and always will be my friends.

When I was responsible for hiring at OpenNMS, I ended every offer letter with “Let’s go do great things”. I consider OpenNMS to be a “great thing” and I am eager to watch it thrive with its new investment, and I will always be proud of the small role I played in its success.

If you are doing great things and think I could contribute to your team, check out my profile on LinkedIn or Xing.