About the Authors
Mark A. Dye was the technology manager and training manager for the Bevill Center at
Gadsden State Community College, where he also managed and taught in the Cisco
Academy program. He now works full time as an assessment and curriculum developer
with Cisco. Mark also has maintained a private information technology consulting business
since 1985. Mark’s 30+-year career has included roles as biomedical instrumentation tech-
nician, field service engineer, customer service supervisor, network engineer, and instructor.
Rick McDonald teaches computer and networking courses at the University of Alaska
Southeast in Ketchikan, Alaska. He is developing methods for delivering hands-on training
via distance in Alaska using web-conferencing and NETLAB tools. Rick worked in the air-
line industry for several years before returning to full-time teaching. He taught CCNA and
CCNP courses in the Cisco Networking Academy in North Carolina and was a CCNA
instructor trainer.
Antoon “Tony” W. Rufi currently is the associate dean of computer and information
science for all the ECPI College of Technology campuses. He also teaches the Cisco
Networking Academy CCNA, CCNP, Network Security, Fundamentals of Wireless LAN,
and IP Telephony curricula. Before becoming an instructor for ECPI, he spent almost 30
years in the United States Air Force, working on numerous electronic projects and computer
programs.
About the Technical Reviewers
Martin S. Anderson is an instructor and program director for computer science technology
at BGSU Firelands. BGSU Firelands, located in Huron, Ohio, is a regional branch college
of Bowling Green State University. He has more than 30 years of experience in network
computers, beginning with his family’s small business in the mid-1970s. He has taught the
CCNA curriculum at BGSU Firelands since 2002.
Gerlinde Brady has been teaching Cisco CCNA and CCNP courses at Cabrillo College, a
Cisco Regional Networking Academy, since 1999. She holds a masters degree in education
from the University of Hannover, Germany, and a masters degree in translation
(English/German) from the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Her IT industry
experience includes LAN design, network administration, technical support, and training.
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