Wootec ↗PC Hardware
Components, assembly, and troubleshooting, including installing GPUs into the servers that power the lab's AI.
Athens, Texas
Dwight Wooten Sr.
MSIS · MBA · CIO · CTO · Professor
I have spent 44 years helping organizations run on technology, and now I teach the next generation to build it.
- Founder, Wootec ↗
- Fractional CIO
- IT Professor, Tyler Junior College
- Speaker & writer
career uptime44 yrsstill learning
01
About
Executive, consultant, teacher.
Three roles, one thread: making technology useful to the people who depend on it.
I started in IT in the early 1980s and went on to lead technology as a CIO and CTO for organizations in manufacturing, insurance, banking, retail, finance, and education. Along the way I earned a Master of Science in Information Systems and an MBA, because the best technology decisions are business decisions.
Today I run Wootec, an IT consulting firm serving small and midsize businesses and public sector clients across East Texas. For more than two decades I have served as fractional CIO for Fashion Glass & Mirror.
I also teach. At Tyler Junior College in Athens, I teach PC hardware, networking, and cloud computing, and I coordinate a student program that builds real infrastructure instead of just reading about it.
My work also covers software development, curriculum design, and publishing. I own and manage three small office buildings as executive suites, which keeps me close to the everyday technology needs of small businesses.
44years in IT
23years as one client's CIO
3courses taught at TJC
6industries served
02
Career
Four decades, one log file.
The short version of a long career in technology leadership.
- 1982
First IT role
The start of a career that has run from the earliest business systems to today's AI.
- CIO · CTO
Leading technology for the enterprise
Senior technology leadership with responsibility for strategy, budgets, infrastructure, and teams.
ManufacturingInsuranceBankingRetailFinancial servicesEducation - 2003
Fractional CIO, Fashion Glass & Mirror
A relationship now 23 years strong, including modern .NET fabrication automation that replaced legacy systems on the shop floor.
- Adjunct
Teaching computer science
Adjunct faculty at Southern New Hampshire University, ECPI University, and Dallas College Mountain View.
- Today
Wootec and Tyler Junior College
Principal consultant at Wootec and IT professor at TJC in Athens, Texas.
03
Teaching
Hands on the hardware.
My students learn by building, racking, cabling, and running real systems.
Networking
Network+ preparation built around a working network: routers, switches, VLANs, and firewalls.
Cloud Computing
Identity, management, and services, connecting on-premises servers to the cloud the way businesses do.
Previously: computer science at Southern New Hampshire University, ECPI University, and Dallas College Mountain View.
04
Student projects & lab
Three courses, one data center.
As coordinating professor of the TJC CNIT student projects, I bring hardware, networking, and cloud students together on one shared build.
Apache CNIT
The public showcase for TJC Computer Networking and IT student work.
apacheitconsulting.com ↗Mini data center capstone
A relay build in which each course hands its finished layer to the next, ending in a live showcase for visitors.
Private AI cloud
Students run large language models on their own servers, so prompts never leave the building.
ZEUSAI service with streaming responsesONLINE
ATHENAGPU AI host, ERP and CRMONLINE
MERCURYGPU AI host, web portal, help deskONLINE
EROS · ORIONMonitoring with Grafana, security with WazuhONLINE
AI requests are load balanced across Zeus, Athena, and Mercury. Built and run by students.
05
Speaking & writing
Plain talk about technology.
For business groups, chambers of commerce, colleges, and conferences.
Speaking topics
- Practical AI for small and midsize businesses
- What a fractional CIO does, and when you need one
- Running private AI on your own hardware
- Building job-ready IT talent through hands-on learning
- Lessons from 44 years in technology leadership
Writing & publishing
- Technology strategy for business owners
- Curriculum and lab guides for IT education
- Notes from the lab: AI, networking, and cloud builds
Books and articles will be listed here.
06 · Contact
Let's talk.
Speaking invitations, teaching partnerships, and media requests are welcome. For consulting work, visit Wootec.