Team BIOS

Troy (mcmillantroy): Troy develops practice tests and professional development courseware for Kaplan IT Training while also working as a professional IT trainer and a video instructor for Cybervista. He has taught Cisco, Microsoft, CompTIA, and wireless classes for the past 15 years, and writes IT textbooks for Sybex and Pearson IT. He is the co-author of 2nd Edition CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) CAS-003 Cert Guide (with Robin Abernathy),  VCP VMware Certified Professional on vSphere 4 Review Guide, and 3rd Edition CISSP Cert Guide (with coauthors Sari Greene and Robin Abernathy). His first book was Change Your Career: Computer Network Security as Your New Profession. A former career changer himself, he has been a professional musician for four decades, sharing the stage with diverse acts from Vassar Clements to the Grateful Dead. For fun he runs marathons and follows Nascar (on TV, not on foot). You can check out his latest band, The Distractors, at https://thedistractors.net/.

Shahara (shaharamruth): Shahara is an Instructional Designer with a passion for curriculum design. She writes practice test content for HTML5, Javascript, CSS, and C# technologies. Formerly a software trainer, Shahara also spent 10 years as a public school secondary teacher; she also works with organizations to deliver international literacy instruction. She loves international culture, travel, and the arts, and recently published her first book for children, Sade and The Golden Shoe.

Robin (rabernathy): I have been here just shy of forever. I develop practice tests and professional courseware for our CompTIA, Cisco, EC-Council, (ISC)2, PMI, ITIL, and Axelos products, plus video instruction for Cybervista. Standing under 5 feet tall, I am the shortest member of our team (but not by much!), which contractors find hard to believe. For some reason they picture me as a 6-foot female prison guard. I am an avid reader of fiction and non-fiction, and there are more Kindles than humans in my household. My latest textbook is the CompTIA Project+ Cert Guide: Exam PK0-004 (Certification Guide). I also co-authored the 2nd Edition CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) CAS-003 Cert Guide (with Troy McMillan) and the 3rd Edition CISSP Cert Guide (with Sari Greene and Troy McMillan), both from Pearson IT Certification. And for the record, I say “Roll Tide!”

Josh (codeguru): Joshua has written, talked, taught, and breathed code for over 25 years. After cutting his teeth on BASIC with a C64 as a tyke and developing websites in his teens, he moved his squirrel-like attention to  mobile development using open-source technologies such as PhoneGap (Cordova). Josh spent ten years developing practice tests for Kaplan IT Training, jumped tracks to head the Instructional Design program, and then jumped over the third rail to don the mantle of our department’s Fearless Leader. When he’s not schmoozing with executive types, you can find him on a plane playing his trusty 3DS or in a forgotten alley sinking quarters into a retro arcade kiosk.

John Brooks: John is an Oracle Certified Professional (OCP) from version 8.0 on up and a certified RAC Expert. He has a Masters degree in Computer Resources and Information Management and completed doctoral work in Computer and Information Systems. He began his Microsoft journey with SQL Server 2000, certified through SQL Server 2008, then broadened his horizons to tackle real-world scenarios with programming and advanced database skill sets. He replaces Bob Bungenstock as both our Oracle content expert and our requisite “Midwestern Nice” staff member. His favorite hobbies are being with his family and enjoying life itself.

George (gmonsalvatge): George is an experienced technical trainer who has developed content for the DSW Group, Ltd, Wave Technologies, NETg, KaplanIT and Thomson Learning over the past 18 years, including 10 years with Kaplan IT Training. He is a certified PMP and MCT, with additional certifications in MCSE, MCTIP (Server Administrator and Database Administrator), and various MCTS. He enjoys running, golfing, and football. Although some people claim that he is insane, he has documentation to prove otherwise.

Ann (ann1ang): Ann is the associate product manager, managing editor, developmental editor, technical editor, copy editor, blog editor, and editing editor. She reviews and produces all practice tests, manages the blog content, and studies for IT certifications on the side. She keeps a copy of The Transitive Vampire on her desk and refers to it weekly. Her goal is world disambiguation.

Past Contributors

Aima (arotella): Former team leader Aima Rotella wrangled the cats who comprise the Transcender Team and handled all aspects of QA and production for many years. As she once said of her talents, “I love words, hate numbers, and have a handbag for every occasion.”

Bob (orcltestguy): A former director, manager, and instructor with Oracle University, Bob brought 15 years of Oracle technical training experience to his stint with Transcender, including SQL, PL/SQL, DBA Admin, and Performance Tuning. Prior to Oracle, he performed corporate training with McKesson Healthcare and Verizon in a variety of operating systems, programming languages, and applications.  Bob also taught college level mathematics. His current hobbies include reading, movies, travel, and enjoying retirement.

Jennifer (jenniferw1): Jennifer Wagner brought product expertise and certifications to our PMI and Oracle lines. She managed the Transcender Certification Preparation team until 2009, when she moved on to other management projects.

Jan (jjoneskit): Jan Jones is a developer, systems analyst, DBA, IT manager, IT trainer, project manager, and former Transcender content developer. Her expertise and certifications covered Oracle, Microsoft, Sun, and PMI.