Thank you for checking out my website 👋
I’ve been developing web and mobile applications for quite a while, and I’ll probably write about these things on my website when I have the time. You can often find me running, hiking mountains, skiing down a slope, paddling in a stream, or exploring a new area.
I currently work as a Software Architect at The Engineered Innovation Group.
My Journey into Web Development
In the mid-90’s, I got my start with web development by managing my high school’s web server and building various Seinfeld fansites that, of course, featured lots of awesome animated gifs. One of my websites, Cosmo Kramer’s World, was even featured in Yahoo! Internet Life Magazine.
I was fortunate to land an internship at Bank of America (formerly MBNA), which gave me a lot of experience doing IT network management and gave me my first taste of developing software. I eventually learned how to develop applications in Powerbuilder and C# and eventually learned the power of having applications on the web and not needing to be distributed on a floppy disk.
During college, I worked for the University’s Communications department, building web applications with ASP.Net.
After college, I had a couple of stints at traditional software companies but I found the work not as interesting or exciting as I had hoped. Eventually, I found a job at Colby College as a Senior Web Developer and eventually became the manager of the college web department. Working in higher education was the creative opportunity I was looking for, as it had a wide range of technologies and responsibilities.
Entrepreneurial Endeavors
During that time, I had the opportunity to develop skills in leadership with a small team, developing web applications, and learning iPhone/Android app development. I even created an early iPhone app called iLobster, which I expected to make a million dollars from, but sadly was mistaken (though I did eventually sell it).
I also have been an active contract web developer, working on side projects after work. I mostly only support existing clients these days, as my free time has become a bit more difficult to come by.
If you’re interested, you can view an archive of older freelance/contract projects online.
Engineering Leadership
Most recently, I’ve been keenly interested in focusing on engineering leadership as a skill and new career challenge. I managed the web development team at Colby College, I’ve worked alongside talented engineers as Director of Engineering at 10up, and as Head of Development at Automattic. I supported three teams who built and enhanced the contributor experience, tools, and infrastructure for the WordPress and Openverse open source project.
I thoroughly enjoy the challenge of supporting engineering teams to help them achieve success. I’ve worked remotely with globally distributed remote teams for the past decade and have learned about new cultures through my distributed teams.