J. FERGUSON "PHOENIX" San Diego, CA | jeffery.ferguson@gmail.com | 954-909-1500 | linkedin.com/in/jefferyferguson TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY, SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE & IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE LEADER Independent technologist and founder with twenty-five years in the field, the last twenty running his own consultancy. Translates ambiguous, unscoped problems into working systems across infrastructure architecture, connected physical-digital experiences, AI-assisted production, and multi-industry client work. Co-founded a wireless ISP in remote Alaska in 2005 that has operated continuously for more than twenty years. Builds and ships in immersive/XR, AI tooling, systems architecture, and partnership development, often across several of those at once for the same client relationship. Based in San Diego, CA. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE FOUNDER & PRINCIPAL Ferguson & Associates - Technology Architecture, Engineering & Creative Practice 2007 - Present - Independent consultancy delivering systems architecture, network infrastructure, and physical-digital integration for clients across hospitality, maritime, and small business, scoping engagements from discovery through deployment and ongoing operations. - Designed and deployed wired and wireless network infrastructure spanning 802.11 standards, licensed and unlicensed backhaul, and satellite links (Starlink, Iridium) for clients in locations with unreliable or absent terrestrial connectivity. - Built content-digitization pipelines converting paper, imagery, and physical assets into 3D models and digital twins, including digital floor plans and BIM/AEC deliverables. - Integrated POS and inventory systems using QR code, image recognition, and distributed-ledger approaches, connecting physical retail/hospitality environments to digital tracking layers. - Deployed and administered server, virtualization, and VoIP infrastructure (Microsoft Server, VMware, Asterisk PBX) with remote administration for distributed client sites. - Since 2024, scaled into an AI-assisted client practice: sixty-plus concept and pitch-document packages produced for clients across eleven sectors, including senior living and adaptive reuse, independent film and television, nonprofit governance, advanced materials and cleantech, aerospace, smart textiles, protective equipment, RF detection and secure communications, botanical and cultural institutions, healthcare, and developer/CRM platforms. INDEPENDENT TECHNOLOGY & STRATEGY CONSULTANT / BOARD ADVISOR Private Engagements 2015 - Present - Advise founders and organizations on technology architecture, digital-physical integration, and strategic partnership structure; serve as advisor to private company boards. - Developed strategic partnership and IP-licensing pathways in the marine and aerospace sectors, spanning vessel systems, materials, and electromagnetic-spectrum applications. - Led a capital-raising initiative for an aerospace-sector client through to a successful close. - Conducts technical due diligence on prospective engagements ahead of investment or partnership commitments. FRACTIONAL CTO/CISO & LEAD TECHNOLOGIST Ferguson Family Marine & Design Operations - Alexander Marine, Ocean Alexander, Tecnomar, The Italian Sea Group, Sally J Interiors 2007 - 2023 - Primary technologist and fractional CTO/CISO supporting a family yacht-industry and interior- design operation, including East Coast commissioning and delivery on a custom yacht built at Christensen Shipyard under a joint venture between Ocean Alexander and Christensen Yachts. - Supported systems, security, data, and communications, plus contract and project documentation, on high-value builds and sales; signed 2016 recommendation on file from a marine-industry executive reference. - Held a fractional CTO/CISO role at JAF Consulting LLC (2018-2019), a yacht sales and brokerage entity, supporting its principal's commercial engagements including a Nuovi Cantieri Apuania (Admiral yacht brand) sales-consultant contract and an Ocean Alexander listing-broker engagement. FOUNDER & CHIEF TECHNOLOGY OFFICER, HEAD OF R&D OptimERA, Inc. 2005 - 2006 - Co-founded and led technical architecture for a wireless ISP serving Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Alaska, a remote Bering Sea community with no terrestrial fiber. - Authored the original business plan, built the company's early technical and web infrastructure, and ran R&D. The company still operates today, more than twenty years later, now partnered with SES Networks and Starlink. FOUNDER & REGIONAL DIRECTOR METABURN / The Bridge Experience 2020 - Present - Founded and directed a free, browser-based, no-download 3D immersive XR experience, named one of the eight Recognized Universes of the 2020 Burning Man Multiverse in Burning Man's own announcement film. Held under a Virtual Experience License Agreement executed directly with Burning Man Project. - Independently corroborated by Burning Man's own Journal and public production credits naming "Jeffery Ferguson (Phoenix)" alongside XR Labs as a Meta Burn producer. - Directed concept through live delivery on a $16,500 budget across an 80-day window; ran the full production stack - platform licensing, producer/participant agreements, scheduling, camp programming, and volunteer coordination. INTERIM CTO Luminous Lotus Temple - Official Virtual Burning Man Experience 2021 - Served as Interim CTO for the official 2021 virtual Temple, leading 3D environment integration and blockchain/NFT asset development alongside the experience's creator-producer. FOUNDER KO-STARS Agency 2017 - Present - Mixed-reality and metaverse customer-engagement concepts for hospitality and retail - sports bars, restaurant chains, and local venues - blending AR and AV layers into physical environments. Ongoing animation/graphics collaboration with an animation studio since 2015. CONTRACTOR, THEN LIVE OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR Microsoft - Asheron's Call I & II 2002 - 2004 - Began as a Microsoft-paid contractor on Xbox, then administered live operations for two persistent MMO worlds during their commercial peak - incident handling and in-world administration for a continuously running 24/7 service. WEB, ANALYTICS & SECURITY CONSULTANT; CONTRACT PRODUCER From the Heart Productions - 501(c)(3) Fiscal-Sponsorship Organization 2017 - Present - Fundraising strategy, production support, and technology consulting for a nonprofit serving independent filmmakers - security audit, maintenance retainer, banking-transition playbook, contractor-agreement drafting, insurance review; produced pitch-training curricula. PLATFORM ARCHITECT & BUILDER Edge-Native Intake & CRM Platform (Client Engagement) 2026 - Designed and deployed a serverless platform for a nonprofit client: a multi-tier submission pipeline separating public intake, gated review, and controlled decryption, with an immutable audit trail. Built on Cloudflare Workers, D1, and R2, with sealed-at-rest submissions and auditable, least-privilege decryption. TECHNICAL DOMAINS Networks & Connectivity: 802.11 a-ax, licensed and unlicensed backhaul, MikroTik, satellite (Starlink, Iridium), DSL, cable, cellular Infrastructure & Systems: Microsoft Server, VMware and hypervisor virtualization, Asterisk VoIP PBX, remote administration, Linux fundamentals, Cloudflare Workers/D1/R2 Connected & Physical-Digital: POS and inventory integration, QR and image recognition, sensor-driven systems, digital twins, BIM and AEC digital floor plans Immersive & Web: WebXR, browser-based 3D delivery, AR/VR/XR concepting, 3D asset pipelines, projection mapping AI & Emerging Technology: self-hosted local inference (Ollama/ROCm, llama.cpp), ComfyUI and Stable Diffusion tooling, ControlNet and Deforum animation pipelines (published, GitHub), LLM workflow integration, prompt engineering, distributed-ledger and NFT feasibility assessment Delivery & Operations: scoping and SOW definition, vendor coordination, technical documentation, agile/sprint workflows, AI-assisted production at volume (sixty-plus client decks, 2024-2026) LEADERSHIP & COMMUNITY Directed a 135-person Love Burn camp with a core team of 35 active volunteers across production, logistics, and on-site delivery (Black Rock City 2007-2015, 2025; Love Burn Miami since 2014). Managed the technological back end for a camp's Remote Burn programming - event lineup and supporting technology stack. SECURITY & GOVERNMENT Competed on a three-person team in the OSINT/HUMINT/SIGINT Capture the Flag track at DEF CON 2018 and placed. Attended Black Hat USA 2018. Active individual registrant on SAM.gov, pursuing federal government-contracting opportunities. EDUCATION & CERTIFICATION New Horizons Regional Education Centers - Information Technology, 1999 Certifications: MCSE, MCP, CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ (1999); MikroTik Wireless Bellevue College - Computer Science, Business & Criminal Justice coursework Harvard Extension School - Communications & PR Strategy (online) Wilderness First Responder; CPR