Tim Kempinski Email & Phone Number

After sustaining a career-ending injury as a firefighter, I found my true calling in cybersecurity. After coming to terms that my career as a firefighter was over, I was confused and uncertain as to what my future career would look like, but knew I wanted a career with purpose and meaning. The idea of moving from a career of protecting and serving my community daily, to the inability of doing so, was crushing. Luckily, I came across the cybersecurity industry. I was immediately fascinated by the complexity of the digital system and all the risks businesses and organizations face daily. Not long after, I found myself enrolled in the University of Michigan's cybersecurity bootcamp. I choose U of M based on their hands on virtual real-world simulations with courses taught by leading experts with diverse experience in the cybersecurity field. My career in firefighting and first responding has taught me many skills that seamlessly fit hand in hand transitioning to a career in cybersecurity, such as leadership, teamwork, adaptability, clear communication, perseverance and success in high stress situations and the ability to connect and relate to individuals of all ages and walks of life. I have previously received multiple awards in my previous firefighting career that exemplify my leadership and skill set that allowed me to excel. Two of my awards included saving someone in cardiac arrest with ROSC (return of spontaneous circulation) which was a direct result of teamwork, leadership, and precise communication, and the other was an award and recognition from the MCMCA of MI for performing a cricothyrotomy on a gunshot wound patient, which is a procedure that involves making an incision in the neck to establish a new airway, used frequently as a last resort, in only the most dire of life threatening situations. These two examples, and lives saved, would never have occurred had I not possessed the character traits listed above, that allowed me to do so.