Daniel Gosnell

About Daniel Gosnell

My story is a little unique, as I’m a first-generation college student who changed careers in my mid-late twenties to IT. Within a few years, I was afforded further leadership opportunities, and in less than 10 years, I became an IT manager. I recently graduated from a MS/IS program at Cal Poly with a 3.91 GPA while working full time in my current role at Hydraflow, an aerospace and defense systems component supplier serving private and government entities, including the Department of Defense (DoD). I’m a forward-thinking strategist who can see the big picture, break it down into actionable items, and unite the right people and resources to streamline delivery. Known by my peers for being “pragmatic with heart,” I believe in supporting individuals to achieve their potential by putting them in roles where they thrive, providing candid feedback, and ensuring coaching and training mechanisms are in place. Through a genuine interest in understanding people’s capabilities and aspirations, and a willingness to advocate on their behalf, I turned a team with low morale into a highly engaged, cohesive powerhouse. I attribute my success to the fact that I always make decisions with the company’s best interest in mind, including people, financials, and long-term prospects. Additionally, I enjoy exploring how new technologies and software can push the organization to the next level. An analytical thinker, I draw on all the information I can garner before advancing with planning, communication, and as little ambiguity as possible. My peers and managers often ask me to take on more projects and join various teams because they know I will move mountains to solve problems. For example, I have been the driving force behind additional functionality of our company’s ERP, which dramatically enhanced Machine Shop productivity, resulting in substantial cost savings. I have also taken on projects to diminish system outages and improve our phone system, among others.Currently formalizing additional executive credentials: CISM (exam scheduled March 2026 and PMP eligibility approved; exam planned.

Experience

1. IT Manager

   Hydraflow

   Sep 2018 — Present · Fullerton, CA, US

   Provide strategic, forward-thinking leadership for IT Department, driving continuous improvement of internal workflows for 300+ end-users. Collaborate with cross-functional teams, executives, and 3rd-party vendors to generate and propel IT strategies/roadmaps. Implement and monitor KPIs, clearly communicate policies and procedures, and conduct performance reviews. Coordinate with National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) International, Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), and the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) on IT compliance and cyber framework.Upskilled manufacturing staff with limited technical proficiency through series of short daily workshops over multiple weeks, enabling individuals to perform needed duties associated with new hardware and computer stations.Mentored colleague on relationships between various data sources during high-impact data visibility project, identifying her talent for business analytics and guiding her to enroll in a master’s program.Transformed team with low morale and high turnover into engaged workforce by exploring performance plans, reviews, and other documents; advocating for team members meriting promotions; and setting forth clear expectations.Coordinated with lead programmer and machine shop manager to gain executive buy-in for ERP modernization, painstakingly connecting databases, building UX, formulating and automating reports, and driving implementation to provide unified, streamlined data source and consolidate hours of calculations into minutes.Diminished outage propensity by creating full hardware asset management, inventory, license calendar, and equipment check schedule as well as negotiating vendor pricing to replace old hardware within stringent budget.

Education

• Washtenaw Community College

  Advance Certificate, Computer Science - C++

  2012 — 2013

• California State Polytechnic University-Pomona

  Master of Science Information Security - MSIS , Cybersecurity, Information Technology Audit, and Digital Forensics

  2019 — 2021

• William Paterson University of New Jersey

  Bachelor's degree, History

  2002 — 2006

• Wayne State University

  Post-Baccalaureate Certificate, Mike Ilitch School of Business, Information Systems Management

  2015 — 2017