experiences
Senior Software Engineer
2022 – Time.current
- Collaborated closely with the VP of Engineering to redefine our API framework, leading to the strategic overhaul and organization of our API architecture. We successfully launched Version 4 of our Ruby on Rails Backend API, which was built adhering to the latest OpenAPI specifications. This version incorporated up-to-date API conventions and embraced Semantic Versioning (Semver) to ensure backward compatibility and predictability in future updates. This foundational upgrade facilitated the seamless decoupling of our e-commerce frontend, transitioning to Next.js with TypeScript auto-generated API clients, enhancing our system's modularity and scalability.
- Co-led the pioneering design and development of a unique E-Gifting feature on the Goldbelly food e-commerce platform, utilizing a React frontend and Rails backend. This innovative service allows users to share personalized culinary experiences from renowned chefs and restaurants, with the convenience of pre-payment and recipient-controlled delivery details.
- Initiated and guided the integration of StackOverflow for Enterprises into our engineering and customer support frameworks, enhancing rapid collaboration and ensuring uniform solutions across the board. This strategic mo
Senior Software Engineer
2020 – 2022
- Spearheaded the launch of the Chain Billing Project, overseeing the architecture and implementation of the backend API while modernizing legacy code and APIs to integrate with a new data model.
- Cultivated a dynamic development environment by leading initiatives such as the formation of an industry panel, the 155-member Ruby Guild, and a Rubyist Book Club, which focuses on advancing testing techniques in Rspec.
- Promoted a collaborative and effective coding culture by reviewing PRs, facilitating pair programming to tackle blockers, supporting during outages, and pioneering new coding patterns.
- Enhanced a remote work culture grounded in inclusivity, diversity, empathy, and empowerment, ensuring consistent engagement through 1-on-1 chats with engineers during periods of rapid organizational growth.
Senior Software Engineer
2019 – 2020
- Oversaw the design and development of key features to enhance the functionality of an enterprise lending platform, which processes over $110 million in financial assets annually.
- Recruited, trained, and mentored a remote team of four software engineers, elevating productivity and enhancing code quality through rigorous code reviews, implementation of Rspec automated testing best practices, and adherence to Sandy Metz’s coding principles in Ruby.
Director of Engineering
2019
- Led the development of an on-demand staffing platform for dental professionals, enhancing service availability and patient experience by optimizing flexible work opportunities and office staffing solutions. Collaborated closely with the founding team, head of product, and creative director to design and implement a product roadmap focused on feature development for monetization and user feedback, incorporating SCRUM methodologies to boost team productivity.
- Engineered critical platform integrations and automation enhancements to simplify operations and enhance performance for both external customers and the internal support team. Spearheaded the migration of the codebase from Bitbucket to GitHub, introducing advanced tooling, continuous integration, security scans, and style guide compliance to streamline processes and bolster security.
- Established a comprehensive documentation system for platform architecture and security protocols to ensure robust knowledge sharing and reduce onboarding time for new engineers.
Senior Application Developer
2018 – 2019
- Spearheaded the launch of LearningLAB, a platform designed to strengthen enterprise workforce defenses against cyber threats and privacy breaches, overseeing backend testing and establishing best practices to enhance software quality.
- Developed a comprehensive full-stack dependency management process tailored for two monolithic Ruby on Rails applications, significantly enhancing system integrity and operational efficiency.
- Elevated code quality and team productivity by introducing and implementing linting practices across the engineering team, improving code cleanliness and readability.
Senior Backend Engineer
2017 – 2018
- Directed the recruitment, onboarding, and training of new engineering talent, including the integration of the first SCRUM project manager, to strengthen backend team capabilities. Led the complex, multi-stage architecture and rollout of Licensing 2.0, enhancing every aspect of design content within the backend API through comprehensive updates across hundreds of files.
- Achieved a significant reduction in test processing times by transitioning from legacy Minitest specs to RSpec and integrating parallel test execution on continuous integration platforms, cutting down durations from 25 minutes to just 8 minutes.
Senior Software Engineer
2016 – 2017
- Developed a complex patient logic report using recursion for enhanced metric analysis and interpretation within the medical industry, facilitating better data-driven decisions.
- Engineered a strategic migration from MongoDB to more cost-effective and efficient database solutions, optimizing performance and reducing operational costs for a client.
- Led a comprehensive refactor of Coding Zeal’s referral program website, enhancing UI/UX to boost customer satisfaction and improve lead conversion rates.
Senior Full Stack Developer
2016
- Developed an Inbound and Outbound ETL Microservice with an integrated API to facilitate real-time communications between third-party providers and our monorail system, enhancing operational flexibility to accommodate diverse provider complexities.
- Implemented Slack and GitFlow to elevate code quality and test coverage while fostering cross-collaborative environments between on-site and remote engineering, sales, and customer service teams through strategic room configurations.
BilingualHire
Senior Full Stack Engineer
2016
- Re-engineered an MVP to streamline the placement of bilingual candidates in jobs across the U.S., enhancing the user sign-up workflow by simplifying content creation from launch to sale, overhauling user interfaces, and expanding the data model to support multiple new languages.
Director of Application Engineering
2014 – 2015
Web Applications Engineer
2009 – 2014
- Spearheaded the development of a Ruby on Rails-based Service Oriented Architecture that powers content delivery across over 600 statically generated websites, enhancing Black Friday traffic management, content updates, and reducing DevOps costs.
- Championed a culture of continuous learning within the team by launching online courses, promoting real-time pairing, and providing career mentoring, which significantly reduced knowledge silos, accelerated junior developer growth, and decreased project timelines.
- Overhauled the code deployment process by transitioning from SVN to GitFlow via GitHub, improving the stability of the continuous integration environment and expediting deployment speeds.
- Revitalized the RetailHub Enterprise Content Management Software by replacing a decade of legacy code and consolidating customer tools into a unified workspace, boosting application performance and client satisfaction. Enhanced team communication and operational efficiency by integrating Slack enterprise-wide.
Applications Developer
2008 – 2009
- Enhanced internal project management software by refactoring it to support international languages and character sets, fostering global usability and communication.
- Developed a comprehensive project and task tracker for the Burj Khalifa construction project, increasing management collaboration and reducing task duplication, which streamlined project operations and enhanced team efficiency.
Team Leader – Web Technology
2001 – 2007
- Led a regional team of five engineers, standardizing development practices across the Midwest by introducing comprehensive software style guidelines, scalability standards, and pair programming sessions to enhance consistency and team performance.
- Engineered a multi-tiered, metrics-driven dashboard application that significantly reduced expenses, increased productivity, and prevented fraud by providing actionable data enterprise-wide.
- Boosted customer satisfaction and minimized outages by standardizing online process delivery and developing mission-critical applications with 24/7 uptime and real-time administrative updates.
Founder & Senior Full Stack Engineer
2016 – Time.current
- Arthur Maxwell & Advanced Building Technology: Spearheaded the transition of Arthur Maxwell's traditional iPad-based eLearning systems to an advanced web-based platform, dramatically increasing global accessibility and user engagement. This was achieved by leveraging modern technologies such as Hotwire, Stimulus, Turbo, and Ruby on Rails. Similarly, led a significant rearchitecture at Advanced Building Technology, transforming their website into a mobile-first design that not only reduced hosting costs but also enhanced traffic monitoring and optimized user experiences across various devices.
- SafeAccess & Sidebench: At SafeAccess, a robust talent pipeline strategy was developed, culminating in the strategic placement of a senior Ruby on Rails engineer to ensure continuous innovation and leadership in application development. Concurrently, as the Technical Architect at Sidebench, directed the pioneering development of the Momints NFT Marketplace from inception to MVP. This role involved extensive research and selection of scalable technologies, as well as the creation of comprehensive documentation to support architectural decisions and streamline development processes.
- Collaborative Projects at Crowd OX, W. W. Norton, and Gathrly: Oversaw the enhancement of Crowd OX's platform, significantly expanding its capabilities and transitioning the testing suite to achieve exemplary code coverage. At W. W. Norton, orchestrated the development of an interactive delivery platform that now serves over 300 interactive resources globally, implementing rigorous GitFlow and quality control processes. In collaboration with Gathrly's founders, developed and continuously improved a lead management system for elite brewers, fostering an environment that prioritizes mentorship and high performance among engineering teams.
My dad always taught me you are going to get your ass kicked time and time again in life, it doesn't matter how you got knocked down, it matters what you do when you get back up. When it comes to products I have had my share of failures but I never stop trying.
Thomas Edison once wrote...
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
If you feel the lightbulb is a little dated, here another favorite from Elon Musk regarding innovation...
"It is important to reason from first principles, rather than, by analogy. So the normal way we conduct our lives is we reason by analogy. We're doing this because it's like something else that was done or like what other people are doing. Iterations on a theme. It's kinda mentally easier to reason by analogy rather than from first principles. First principles is kinda a physics way of looking at the world and what that really means is you kinda boil things down to the most fundamental truths and say okay, what are we sure is true? or sure as possible is true? and then reason up from there. That takes a lot more mental energy."
I believe we live in amazing times, filled with opportunity. Where a collective set of individuals can work together to change the world. This means thinking differently. Finding and solving real problems, and reasoning from first principles. I know I have failed many times, but part of life is fighting for the life you want to live.
Let's write our own story!
education
community
Turing School of Software & Design
Mentor & Volunteer Teacher
2020 - 2022
Las Vegas, Nevada
Boulder Ruby Group
Regular Attendee
2019 - Present
Boulder, Colorado
Full Stack PDX Meetup
Founder
2017 – 2019
Portland, Oregon
Mentorship Saturdays PDX Meetup
Mentor
2016 – 2019
Portland, Oregon
Ruby on Rails PDX Meetup
Founder
2016 - 2017
Portland, Oregon
conferences
Ruby on Ales
March 5th – 6th, 2015
Bend, Oregon
Ruby on Ales
March 6th – 7th, 2014
Bend, Oregon
Cascadia Ruby
October 21st - 22nd, 2013
Portland, Oregon
jQuery Conference
June 13th - 14th, 2013
Portland, Oregon