J Doss

I started as a designer helping mountain communities build better systems. For 18 years—from 1995 through 2013—I worked with small businesses in the Sierra Nevada foothills, learning that you solve real problems when you listen first. Those long-term relationships taught me something you can't fake: trust is built over time, solutions come from understanding what people actually need (not what they think they need), and small decisions ripple through entire communities.

That foundation shaped everything that came after. In 2011, I moved into youth development at the Boys & Girls Club of Oakhurst, leading programming focused on academic development. It was a different kind of system-building—one where environment creates growth. I learned that people develop when you create the right conditions and show up authentically. That's when I realized mentorship isn't accidental; it's structured. And that when you genuinely care about trajectory, kids sense it.

Running parallel to that, I spent 2012-2013 in sales as an Account Executive for Sierra Star, selling advertising to local businesses. Most people think sales is about pushing products. I learned it's the opposite: understanding customer goals, building real relationships, and knowing that empathy beats pitch every time. That combination—listening + genuine interest in outcomes—changed how I think about any interaction.

In 2013, I transitioned fully into IT at Madera County. What started as desktop support (2013-2016) quickly evolved into systems administration work, and then into leading infrastructure projects. By 2016, I was designing automation scripts, managing Active Directory and communications systems, and working directly with departments to assess what they actually needed to do their jobs better. That's when the designer in me came back—but this time, I was designing systems, not websites.

In 2020, I stepped into management as Information Technology Division Manager. Now I lead a Client Services Division supporting nearly 1,000 end users across Madera County government. I've architected major initiatives: standardized PC refresh programs, telephony modernization from legacy systems to Webex Calling, and rebuilt ServiceNow workflows to improve how teams work together. But the most important work is what you might not see on a resume—developing technical staff into a cohesive, service-oriented team that actually understands they're solving problems for real people.

This is why I approach IT management the way I do: As partnership, not hierarchy. As development of people, not just deployment of tools. As systems thinking grounded in real impact. I've learned from 18 years of listening to mountain communities, from showing up for young people, from understanding what drives business outcomes, and from building infrastructure that has to work when you need it. That's the story—not the titles.