Deputy Systems Administrator
Arizona Department of Economic Security
Ernest is a highly experienced Deputy System Administrator at the Arizona Department of Economic Security with 25 years in the field of government IT. Over the years, he has specialized in government payment systems. He introduced direct deposit for child welfare providers and was part of the team that transitioned Arizona to a new EBT vendor in 2017. More recently Ernest has dedicated his expertise to combating EBT benefit theft in the SNAP and TANF programs, successfully mitigating and pushing back on in-state and out of state card cloning and skimming schemes. Ernest also played a pivotal role in implementing Pandemic EBT (P-EBT) and Sun Bucks (S-EBT) that complimented existing SNAP and TANF programs by providing critical support to families when schools close.
Ernest holds a BSBA in Computer Information Systems from Northern Arizona University and thrives on solving complex challenges. Outside his professional life, Ernest enjoys skiing and fixing cars, channeling his passion for problem-solving into hands on hobbies.