IT Innovation Specialist

Hi, I'm Sam Itman

I design and implement scalable solutions that improve efficiency and performance across organizations. Passionate about digital modernization, cybersecurity, and automation.

MS IT Admin & Security BS Information Technology DOD Secret Clearance Security+
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Organizations I've Worked With
Department of the Air Force - Warfighter USSF Logo Department of the Air Force CISA USSF S6 United States Space Force Optum - UnitedHealth Group KIPP New Jersey
What I Do

Areas of Expertise

Bridging the gap between technology and mission success through innovation, leadership, and security.

IT Innovation

Driven by a passion for digital modernization and automation, I design and implement scalable solutions that improve efficiency and performance. Skilled in DevOps, cloud computing, and enterprise app development.

Project Management

Experienced in leading cross-functional teams and managing end-to-end IT initiatives. Adept at defining objectives, aligning technical strategies with business goals, and ensuring successful project execution.

Cybersecurity

Proven expertise in securing enterprise systems through cloud security, compliance enforcement, and infrastructure hardening. Background in defense and critical infrastructure sectors.

My Background

Resume

A snapshot of my professional experience, education, and technical skills.

Download Full Resume (PDF)
Experience
IT Innovation Specialist | United States Space Force
Apr 2024 – Present
  • Led initiatives to enhance workforce efficiency and advance digital modernization strategies across the staff. Recognized with the service-level Cyber Operations Functional Award for exceptional contributions to US Space Force Headquarters enterprise digital services.
  • Spearheaded the development of a new personnel management system, streamlining employee records tracking, onboarding and internal task management, improving data accuracy & visibility for 100+ personnel and saving 500+ man-hours annually.
  • Developed interactive dashboards providing Space Force leadership with real-time insights into personnel records, leave requests, and budget allocation, reducing processing time by >50% and saving 1,000+ man-hours annually.
  • Created the Space Force's first-ever automated training compliance system, resulting in an over 25% improvement in training compliance across all ~5,000 civilian guardians.
Systems Engineer | Innova Solutions
Jan – Apr 2024
  • Engineered and maintained mission-critical web servers and databases for cost assessment and program evaluation across all DoD agencies, in support of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
  • Ensured 99.9% uptime for six information systems across classified and unclassified networks, providing uninterrupted access to critical resources for 300+ DOD users during the budgeting cycle.
  • Implemented proactive cybersecurity measures, including vulnerability scanning and configuration management, ensuring full compliance with DOD regulations and maintaining the Authority to Operate (ATO) for all systems.
Cyber Program Analyst | CISA
Jun – Sep 2022
  • Developed key API and UI components of "Phoenix," a DOD threat intelligence platform used to assess threats against critical infrastructure, processing thousands of IOCs daily and contributing to a 70% reduction in threat research time.
  • Integrated APIs with leading threat intelligence providers (e.g., VirusTotal, DomainTools) to enrich IOC data and improve security assessment efficiency.
  • Developed UI components, including data ingestion dashboards and report generation features, to assist offensive security experts with their investigations.
  • Leveraged Docker, MongoDB, Postman, Python, and Vue.js to build and deploy scalable "Phoenix" platform components.
Software Engineer | Optum – UnitedHealth Group
Jun – Aug 2021
  • Redesigned and modernized legacy systems for storing and processing critical healthcare provider data, resulting in a >50% reduction in management time and over 1,200 hours saved annually.
  • Developed and deployed three production ReactJS web apps used by 200+ employees, integrating SSO, RBAC, GraphQL APIs, and AWS RDS for secure data handling.
  • Automated deployment pipelines using Docker, Jest, Sonar, Twistlock, AWS ECR & EKS, Helm, and Jenkins, improving security and reducing data processing time by >70%.
IT Technician | KIPP New Jersey
Jul – Sep 2020
  • Set up, configured, and tested hardware across 11 KIPP NJ sites supporting 8,500+ K-12 students, ensuring full operational readiness and adherence to organizational standards.
  • Resolved network and connectivity issues, maintaining 99.9% uptime and efficient network communication.
  • Managed vendor repair tickets and oversaw device repairs, reducing average repair time by two days.
  • Conducted on-site tech audits and managed asset inventories, ensuring accurate tracking and compliance.
Education
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Sep 2019 – Dec 2023
  • MS – IT Administration & Security  |  GPA: 4.0
  • BS – Information Technology  |  Minor: Business  |  GPA: 4.0
Class Rank: 1/1815 Summa Cum Laude NSF CyberCorps SFS Scholar
Technical Skills
Cloud & DevOps
AWS Google Cloud Docker Kubernetes Jenkins Helm RabbitMQ
Programming
Python Java JavaScript React Node.js Vue.js C# PHP SQL
Software & Automation
Power Apps Power Automate SharePoint .NET Power BI Postman
Databases
MySQL MongoDB SQL Server
Languages
English (Native) Russian (Intermediate) Spanish (Intermediate)