Name
James Tyler
Company/Organization
River Valley School District
What Does Your Company/Organization Do?
The mission of River Valley School District is to provide a quality education for all students. Our vision of our school district is that all River Valley students will demonstrate Preparation, Respect, Integrity, Dependability, and Effort (PRIDE). We BELIEVE in doing our best, caring for others, and loving our school.
Age
35
Accomplishments
-Lead River Valley’s Technology Department with major projects including our elementary school consolidation, cloud systems migrations, and overseeing federal E-Rate project implementations.
-Member of the City of Watervliet Planning Commission
-Watervliet Youth Football & Cheer Public Relations Coordinator
-Watervliet Baseball/Softball Rec Council Trustee
-Watervliet Police Foundation (to be created this year) Board Member
-Head Coach Elementary Girls Basketball (2 Years), T-Ball (2 Years), 10U Softball , 10U Softball All-Stars, AYSO 5U Soccer
-Assistant coach for YMCA basketball, Rookie Flag Football, & T-Ball
-Author of PowerShell for Systems Engineers: Leveraging Automation & ChatGPT to Solve Business Problems (ISBN 979-8387045530, 439 pages)
-Presenter at Michigan Association of Educational Data Systems (MAEDS) 2022
– “Building Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) with PowerShell Windows Forms .NET” and “PowerShell Storage Methods with Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform”.
-Author of open source disk cleaning script that is available in 109 different languages.
-Member, YouTube Partner Program (@PowerShellEngineer)
What else do you hope to accomplish by the age of 40?
Complete Doctor of Education in Educational Technology through American College of Education, complete the Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO) Chief Technology Officer certification, write a more condensed PowerShell book and have it translated into multiple languages, visit at least half of the major league ballparks with my wife, Jessica, and my kids, Addy and Preston.
Education
Master of Science in Information Systems and Technology Management, Capella University Bachelor of Arts, Western Michigan University
What Town Do You Reside In?
Watervliet
Where were you born?
Saint Joseph
What was your first job?
Dish washer at Wallace’s Board of Trade in Watervliet
Best advice you ever got?
At my Western Michigan University commencement, then president John Dunn quoted Winston Churchill, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.”
Who inspires you most?
My wife Jessica, who is a wonderful mother and amazing part of Watervliet Public Schools. Every team I’ve coached she’s always been the glue behind the scenes, making schedules, coordinating rides, filling coolers, and so much more.
That one thing about you we’d be most surprised to learn.
While I love Watervliet so much, it was not originally our plan to move back there after college. That said, I can’t imagine not having done that!
What do you love to do in your downtime?
I love travelling with my family. Specifically, we love to travel to at least one zoo we haven’t visited each year. I also fish with my dad every summer. We caught 39 bluegill this year on Independence Day!
What book are you reading now?
Dopamine Nation: Finding Balance in the Age of Indulgence – I first heard about it on the Big Technology podcast in the context of technology addiction.
Volunteer activity you love the most.
The Watervliet Recreational Baseball/Softball Council. I’ve met so many amazing people including board members, parents, coaches, and of course great kids. It’s a high impact program in our community and I’m proud to be a part of it.
What motivates you to give back to your community?
I think there is a force multiplier on the effort we put into to volunteer work. Seeing a kid who maybe doesn’t have the most confidence feel good about the work they’re doing by the end of a season can have a lasting impact on them. Volunteering to make our communities better shows others that we should be proud of where we live.
What Superpower would you most love to have? (for example, the ability to fly or to be invisible, or incredible strength, etc)
Regenerative healing power and adamantium fused to my bones (like Wolverine from X-Men)
What would you like to leave behind as your legacy once you are gone?
I want my kids to be kind, responsible citizens. My hope is when they grow up that they remember Jessica and I put everything we had into making a good life for them. I’d also like to make a positive impact on the lives of kids in both my volunteer capacities and in my professional work in K12.
What does the honor of being named to the 40 Under 40 most mean to you?
It’s a complete honor and I am humbled to be named. There are a lot of amazing people who have received this award and it is very amazing to be named alongside them.
