TJ Hoag
Background

About Me

I help higher education and healthcare IT teams keep users authenticated, accounts accurate, and support queues moving.

Story
My Journey

Over the past 18 months, I've resolved 200+ monthly IT incidents across 30+ universities - covering hybrid Active Directory/Entra ID sync failures, MFA lockouts, Okta/OneLogin provisioning issues, and VPN-dependent authentication breakdowns - while maintaining 4.33–5.0 CSAT scores and 97–108% documentation accuracy in ServiceNow.

My deepest work is in identity and access: provisioning user lifecycles, diagnosing hybrid cloud sync edge cases, and ensuring every environment I touch stays FERPA and HIPAA compliant. Before Ellucian, I delivered a 96.6% first-call resolution rate at Blue Cross Blue Shield handling 150+ monthly pharmacy authorization cases under HIPAA-governed workflows.

My technology career started at Saginaw Valley State University, where I earned a degree in Computer Information Systems and led a capstone project developing security assessment software with 20+ classmates. That foundation in security and systems thinking informs everything I do now.

The most rewarding part of my work is diagnosing an authentication failure that looks like a simple password reset but isn't - and tracing it back to a hybrid sync window or a misconfigured conditional access policy that would have generated repeat tickets without root-cause analysis.

Endorsements
What colleagues say
KW
Kerzie Wildrick
IT Support Specialist
Worked together at Ellucian
"I had the privilege of working with Timothy at Ellucian, where he excelled in providing top-notch technical support over the phone. His ability to troubleshoot complex issues quickly and clearly communicate solutions made a significant impact on both our team and the end-users we supported. Timothy's professionalism, problem-solving skills, and dedication to delivering excellent service make him an asset to any organization. I highly recommend him."
January 25, 2025
OM
Omar M
Zoompardy Host | Technical Specialist
Worked with Timothy but on different teams
"TJ brought incredible energy and insight to my program. His contributions were thoughtful, engaging, and consistently elevated the experience for everyone involved. He's not just a great connection—he's a standout collaborator who makes any project better. Highly recommend working with him!"
November 23, 2025
TA
Tobey Ashcroft
IT Support Analyst
Worked together at Ellucian
"Timothy is smart on his feet and is a critical thinker. He has a great ability to notice detail, troubleshoot and problem solve."
January 22, 2025
LL
Lori Lawrence
Career Community Leader
Timothy was Lori's client
"Timothy (TJ) has been an active and valued participant in our twice-weekly job seeker community, consistently bringing positivity, encouragement, and a genuine willingness to help others succeed. Beyond participating, TJ has played an important role in supporting the technical aspects of the new CoCareer.ai platform I recently introduced to our group. What stands out most about TJ is his curiosity, patience, and collaborative spirit. He openly shares helpful tips, 'tricks,' and success strategies that he has personally discovered, always looking for ways to make the experience easier and more effective for others. He has become someone our community members naturally turn to for support and encouragement. TJ would be a tremendous addition to any organization looking for a positive, service-oriented, and technically curious professional for a help desk or support-focused role. He is truly a people asset and someone who elevates the environment around him."
May 15, 2026
JE
Jamie Edwards
Career Strategist
Timothy was Jamie's client
"Timothy was one of my career coaching clients and he is one of the most down to earth and passionate people you could ever meet when it comes to his customer service skillset. He truly cares about everyone he helps out and his IT troubleshooting skills are second to none. I highly recommend any company looking for someone who can get the job right the first time and who's skilled and knowledgeable when it comes to technical support troubleshooting to hire Timothy on their team!"
November 14, 2022
DR
Deanna Russo
B2B LinkedIn Strategist
Timothy was Deanna's client
"TJ is a fantastic human being online and offline and a phenomenal tech support guru. I recommend hiring managers and recruiters give him serious consideration because your company will be better for adding TJ to your team."
June 29, 2024
View more on LinkedIn
Philosophy
My approach

Values

  • Technology should make people's jobs easier
  • Every person deserves patience, empathy, and real solutions
  • Protecting your data builds trust

Work philosophy

  • I explain the why and the how
  • I think out loud when troubleshooting
  • I build relationships so users trust me when things break
Career goals
What I'm looking for

I do the work of an IAM analyst daily - provisioning, diagnosing, and documenting identity incidents at scale - and I'm ready for a role with that title. Direct hire, W-2, remote.

Target roles

  • IAM Analyst
  • Junior Systems Administrator
  • IT Operations Analyst
  • ServiceNow Administrator
  • Tier 2 Service Desk

Ideal environment

  • Healthcare or Higher Education
  • Identity & access operations
  • Ticket-based, backend-focused work
  • Remote, direct hire, W-2
  • Team with growth opportunities
Technologies
Active DirectoryMicrosoft Entra IDOktaOneLoginDuo SecurityServiceNowIntuneDockerWindows ServerPowerShell
Note for Recruiters: Direct hire preferred - open to contract-to-hire with benefits. My current work is in hybrid identity and access operations across 30+ institutions - I'm ready for a role that reflects that scope.
Infrastructure
Homelab & certifications

I run a 30+ container Docker homelab including Active Directory (Windows Server 2025), a monitoring stack (Portainer, Grafana, Uptime Kuma), and automation (n8n, Home Assistant) - where I simulate and pressure-test patterns I observe in production identity environments.

Production resilience starts with understanding failure modes before you're paged at 2am. My lab is where I reproduce hybrid sync edge cases, test Group Policy changes, and validate security hardening before recommending it for institutional environments.

Microsoft Intune Fundamentals

Microsoft Learn · April 2026

Google Cybersecurity Foundations Certificate

Google via Coursera · January 2026

Google IT Support Professional Certificate (5-course)

Google via Coursera · 2023

View credential

CompTIA Security+ & CyberDefenders CCDL1

Currently in study · 2026

Community
Beyond technology

I served as an Online Chair for the American Cancer Society for over a decade, managing their digital presence and supporting their mission. I organized luminary ceremonies and collaborated with 50-100 volunteers to create meaningful experiences for those affected by cancer.

Reach out
Let's connect

I welcome discussions about IT challenges and opportunities. If you need someone who understands both technical systems and the people who depend on them, I'd like to hear from you.