Professor Craton joined the AU faculty in 2019. He brings experience working as a software engineer, consultant, and open source contributor. He has previously worked alongside college students in residence life and student programs and has worked at Interactive Intelligence (now Genesys), Taylor University, Ivy Tech Community College, and Houghton College. He completed his BS in engineering and MA in student development at Taylor University. He completed his MS in computer science at Dakota State University.

Having lived and worked with college students as a resident director for six years, Professor Craton seeks to build strong and meaningful relationships with his students. He also strives to bring his practical experience building software to the classroom. He loves exploring new trends and technologies and works hard to ensure that his students have the tools that they need to build the high quality, secure software of the future.

Professor Craton lives near campus with his wife, Karin, and son, Benji. He has many interests, including playing board games, tinkering with electronics, and building with LEGO.