I am a technology professional who has been working in software development since 2005. I spent the first 14 years of my career working as an engineer with my primary focus being on backend development. I have experience in PHP, MYSQL, CSS, CSS3, Javascript ( Vanilla ), HTML, Objective-C, Swift, and Ruby on Rails. During this time I developed skills that allow me to be a key asset in understanding the needs of the business and converting those needs to a technical solution. I recently decided it was time to take on a new challenge, so 3 years ago I moved to Engineering Management where I have led, mentored, and built teams in two different organizations. As a manager, I strive to not only help deliver improvements that move the business close to its north star but also help engineers to grow and develop their careers by giving them all the tools they need to succeed.
Work Experience
Braintrust Tutors, Inc
Director of Engineering / May 2023 to Present
- I was brought on to build the internal development team including implementing the hiring process, working with 3rd parties to fulfill those staff needs, and managing the operations and execution of the engineering team
- Compiled budget predictions and analysis for the executive team members.
- Create the procedures and processes the engineering team will follow in their day-to-day development operations.
- Worked with many of our clients to ensure we were meeting all security requirements and needs.
- Working with the Executive team to understand the key goals we need to achieve and creating the plan to make that happen
- Managing roadmaps and engineering efforts across the entire engineering organization
- Mentoring engineers and leaders to help them grow in their role and further their careers.
Lawnstarter, Inc
Engineering Manager / November 2021 to Present
- Business Analysis, including Requirements Gathering, Writing Technical Specifications, and Determining the best course of action to complete the project (Frameworks, Databases, Languages, etc.)
- Writing Documentation and Developing Processes for our Day To Day Operations
- Hiring multiple developers, quality engineers, and product managers using the WHO interview process
- Developed a new method of aggregating metrics for our engineers in a way that allows us to view those metrics on a quarterly basis and determine problem areas not only for the engineering team but for each individual developer as well.
- Led the API team during a recent acquisition and integration of the acquired company into our platform
- Standardized how we document our customer data dog metrics and developed a process for how we handle creating that documentation
- Facilitated and documented the entire process of copying hundreds of thousands of Stripe Customer Data records over to our new platform following the acquisition
- Helped with doing the research and determining new ways of tracking the productivity of the engineering team as a whole and on an individual level. This work led to a new paper being published by my VP of Engineering, Alberto Silveira: Engineering Productivity goes beyond “Just Code”
RVshare, LLC
Engineering Manager / December 2019 to November 2021
- Business Analysis, including Requirements Gathering, Writing Technical Specifications, and Determining the best course of action to complete the project (Frameworks, Databases, Languages, etc.)
- I have done all the hiring for the engineering team since March of 2021 and developed a process for tracking and evaluating candidates.
- Spearheaded our first true “beta” launch using Optimizely to launch a large feature to a select group of users.
- Started unique sprint reporting to monitor the percentage of time our engineers are spending working on roadmap work versus working on defects, including the amount of time spent helping other developers and managing the overhead of engineering ( ie. Code reviews, deployments, etc )
- Create the deployment process we use today at RVshare and detailed the steps in intricate documentation.
- Developed and streamlined the process for tracking PTO and Capitalized Dev for our engineers.
Senior Software Developer / February 2019 to December 2019
- Business Analysis, including Requirements Gathering, Writing Technical Specifications, and Determining the best course of action to complete the project (Frameworks, Databases, Languages, etc.)
- Worked extensively in Ruby on Rails to further refine and create elegant solutions for the API.
- Implemented an initiative to standardize our Error Handling, Coding Standards, Peer Reviews, and Software Documentation processes, including RV University which is an initiative to create a process of onboarding new employees.
Dragonfly Research Group
Senior Software Developer / January 2018 to February 2019
- Manage a team of several junior developers and coordinate those efforts on a daily basis
- Business Analysis, including Requirements Gathering, Writing Technical Specifications, and Determining the best course of action to complete the project (Frameworks, Databases, Languages, etc.)
- Developed multiple projects in PHP 7, including a system to allow for the rental of boats for users to stay on (similar to Airbnb), doing the UX design and implementation for most of the front-end facing pages, along with the restful API design.
- Developed a new version of assessment software for Eckerd College’s Management Training institute in PHP and Laravel. Doing the full technical design, database design, wireframes, and DDD implementation and design.
- Added a new Facebook integration to a project with a Ruby on Rails backend and React JS front end that allowed users to create ad campaigns and administer those campaigns through the application’s interface. Accompanying this was a feature-rich analytics dashboard offering insights on conversions and measuring the success of the campaign. In addition, completed an integration in which all events in the calendar of the application were synced with the user’s google account information.
Clear Idea Technology
Senior Software Developer / October 2005 to December 2017
- Lead a team of between 3 and 7 people in developing and maintaining several PHP and Ruby on Rails projects.
- Spent 2 years leading a team of 4 in developing a Ruby on Rails backend and Angular front end for a startup looking to disrupt the online advertising and content creation industry, along with an accompanying browser extension.
- Helped conceive and design an in-house PHP project that is a tourism guide for the Florida Keys, including the PHP administration interface and application, Restful Webservices, dynamic data delivery, database design, implementation, and UX. In addition, developing the native iOS application incorporating usages of geosynchronous data to deliver coupons and deals to the user based on the user’s set preferences and location or “zone” they had entered and exited while in the Florida Keys.
- Developed a Ruby on Rails backend for an application allowing for the on-the-spot pricing of diamonds and requests for quotes, including the entire REST API and database design
- Developed a PHP project that allowed consumers to find cruelty-free products by simply scanning the bar code of the project using the native mobile application.
Education
Degree / Date of Graduation
West Holmes High School / General Diploma / 1994 State College of Florida / 2001-2002 / GPA: 3.8
Awards and Acknowledgements
#SRQHacks / Special Recognition / 2016
Mentored and Lead a team of youths in a weekend competition to come up with a technical solution to a problem facing the community. The team was recognized and awarded a $500 donation to the charity of choice for developing an idea that would have the most profound effect on the community
#SRQHacks / First Place / 2017
Mentored and Lead a team of youths to address a problem in education and develop a technical solution to said problem. As a result of being awarded first place, the team was invited to speak at a symposium on the state of transportation in Sarasota Florida.