Software Engineer

• Nov 2021 - Present

Senior Technical Director

• Jan 2019 - Nov 2021

Designed, directed, and oversaw the implementation of a directorate-wide application of Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) tailored for the delivery of both software and services. The Global Enterprise Solutions (GES) Operational Support Team (OST) was comprised of six distinct value streams and delivered capability to three different military Combatant Commands (COCOMs) on four continents. The application of Scaled Agile increased productivity and by more than 40% and decreased time-to-market by more than 30%. Served in various functional roles including Product Manager, Solution Engineering Architect, Release Train Engineer, and member of the Lean/Agile Center of Excellence (LACE) all focused on delivering exceptional support to customers with the minimum possible lead time. Chaired the directorate Operational Configuration Management Working Group responsible for overseeing compliance of fielded systems with CM Contract Data Requirement Lists (CDRLs). Responsible for ensuring that field customization of systems and software were properly documented and maintained in accordance with established DevSecOps processes. Responsible for aligning customer functional requirements with portfolio of technical capabilities. Supported customers and program managers by decomposing requirements and aligning work against value streams for rapid delivery on an agile cadence. Show less

Director of Field Engineering

• Oct 2017 - Jan 2019

Deputy Director

• Jul 2016 - Oct 2017

I served as the deputy director of operations for our team supporting United States Central Command in Tampa, Florida. Aligned under the knowledge management department of headquarters intelligence, our systems and personnel supported the integration, dissemination, and analysis of critical information across a broad spectrums of networks and security domains. We maintained a fully replicated enterprise of data stores across the United States, Europe, and Southwest Asia. Our web-based software supported data entry, aggregation, and analysis for an extremely diverse spectrum of users, from military commanders working to defeat extremism, militancy, and criminal enterprise, to the Department of State and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) personnel conducting diplomacy and a wide variety of stability and humanitarian operations. I was directly responsible for coordinating engineers, technicians, trainers, project managers, and knowledge managers to deliver effective mission support across half-a dozen countries and twelve time zones. I introduced agile methodologies such as Scrum and Nexus to provide increased productivity and organizational efficiency. I instituted JIRA-based workflows to track work effectively without overburdening staff with administrative trivia. I evolved our staff feedback and review process to provide more consistent interaction, allowing managers and employees to more proactively develop skills and solve problems.I enjoyed discovering ways to make work less burdensome for people. The work we did was challenging, interesting, and very rewarding. Striking a balance between organizational structure and flexibility was critical to creating an environment that stimulated individual initiative, creativity, and productivity. Mediating solutions that satisfied the strategic objectives of corporate leadership, the requirements of our customers, and the goals of individual employees was a perpetually renewing puzzle. Show less

Field Services Architect

• Feb 2013 - Jul 2016

I served as the senior technical architect for our Field Services directorate, an organization responsible for delivering technology from the product development teams into the operational environment. Our primary responsibility was to ensure that the software and systems met the needs of the end customer and functioned according to specification. We performed regression and integration testing in simulated production environments, packaged software and equipment for delivery, and traveled to customer sites to perform installations and upgrades.I deployed to Afghanistan as the engineering team lead for eighteen months to provide direct support to North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces conducting Operation Resolute Support. I supervised a team of system administrators, developers, and database administrators responsible for mission systems installed across the country and echelons of command. I also lead the team responsible for operational configuration management of our deployed systems, not only in Afghanistan, but across Europe, Africa, and the Pacific. This included developing and overseeing the processes by which we conducted configuration auditing, validation, and compliance with security and information assurance policies. I chaired the inter-departmental working group directly responsible to our board of directors for compliance and operational integrity. Show less

Analytics Architect

• Mar 2012 - Feb 2013

As a member of our corporate technology architecture team, I participated in the design and development of natural language processing, entity extraction, and advanced analytic software incorporating a variety of open source and commercial components, including MongoDB, Allegrograph, Neo4j, Apache Tika, Mule, and others. The orchestration of text and entity extraction was conducted using Gate/UIMA and openNLP, and the resulting data was surfaced through Solr. Additional capabilities of the system included lexicon driven domain vocabulary alignment, geospatial and temporal indexing, semantic indexing, and clustering. I contributed to the development of an open source plugin for Solr to incorporate domain ontologies in order to increase the veracity of semantic discovery.The most rewarding thing about this project was the opportunity to create software that provided greater benefit to users with limited technical or domain specific knowledge. Google is easy because it obscures a tremendous amount of complexity behind an elegant interface. Technology is best when it is both effective and invisible. Show less

Software Engineer

• Mar 2005 - Mar 2012

Between 2004 and 2011, I spent the better part of six years deployed to Iraq supporting coalition forces engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Military information management systems at the time were not particularly well suited to the type of asymmetric, low-intensity conflict that characterized the occupation. We built lightweight, asynchronous web applications using technologies such as ColdFusion, HTML/CSS/JS/Ajax, and Microsoft SQL Server to support integrated reporting, data curation, exploitation, and analysis by operational and strategic elements. We provided capability in support of a broad spectrum of operations, including Civil Affairs engagement, Human Intelligence, and the many aspects involved in countering the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threat. The data we collected was used to inform the delivery of critical funding, infrastructure, and services to the local population, as well as tools to conduct socio-cultural analysis focused on reducing crime, corruption, and extremist activities. While not on deployment to Iraq, I supported development and test activities based in the United States. In 2009, I deployed to Afghanistan to field these capabilities to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) headquartered in Kabul.Not every software developer gets to say that the code they write saves lives and helps to make a positive difference in the lives of thousands of people. It was truly a historic endeavor, and it was my privilege to serve alongside the men and women of our military forces. Show less

Software Engineer

• Jan 2004 - Mar 2005

From 2004 to 2005, I deployed to Baghdad, Iraq supporting coalition forces engaged in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Military information management systems at the time were not particularly well suited to the type of asymmetric, low-intensity conflict that characterized the occupation. We built lightweight, asynchronous web applications using technologies such as ColdFusion, HTML/CSS/JS/Ajax, and Microsoft SQL Server to support integrated reporting, data curation, exploitation, and analysis by operational and strategic elements. We provided capability in support of a broad spectrum of operations, including Civil Affairs engagement, Human Intelligence, and the many aspects involved in countering the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threat. The data we collected was used to inform the delivery of critical funding, infrastructure, and services to the local population, as well as tools to conduct socio-cultural analysis focused on reducing crime, corruption, and extremist activities. Show less

Software Engineer

• Aug 1999 - Jan 2004

In 1999, I joined the United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) Intelligence Systems team with SAIC in Ramstein, Germany. Our team developed web-based software to support a wide variety of missions, including a next-generation Interim Targeting Solution (ITS) that incorporated the full cycle of strategic to tactical-task target development, weaponeering, battle damage, and intelligence assessment. This system served as the template for future target software development and established a number of important new functional standards. In 2002, I supported United States Army V Corps based in Heidelberg with a wide-area technical survey of the European communications architecture. It was our task to inventory, evaluate, and test WAN infrastructure to support the draw-down and realignment of forces under the European Strategic Command. In 2003, I joined a team at European Command in Stuttgart, Germany to build a web-based force protection planning application. The purpose of this application was to allow US Joint Forces to conduct integrated planning and assessment in preparation for deployment to operations and exercises throughout the European theater. I traveled frequently to United States Navy Sixth Fleet at Naval Support Activity (NAS) Gaeta, Italy to conduct requirements analysis, and participate in detailed software design. It was a remarkable opportunity, not only to simply live, work, and travel in Europe, but to support the American military and our NATO allies during events such as the aftermath of the 9-11 attacks, the early phases of operations in Afghanistan, the post-war analysis of the Kosovo campaign, and many others. Every day was an exercise in critical real-world problem solving. There is simply nothing more rewarding than a job that is directly relevant to world events and the lives of so many people. Show less

Computer Programmer

• Aug 1995 - Aug 1999

I enlisted in the US Air Force as a computer programmer. After boot camp, I attended advanced individual training at Keesler AFB in Mississippi, and was posted to Peterson AFB in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As a member of the 5th Detachment of the Air Force Material Command (AFMC Det 5), I supported the multi-mission correlation systems of the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) at Cheyenne Mountain Air Station. Air Force enlisted programmers and our contractor counterparts supported a wide variety of interesting projects, including the efforts to upgrade many of the aging Cold War era systems. We wrote embedded software to convert communication protocols for Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) radars, and developed some of the earliest Windows-based software applications to track the maintenance of Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) systems. I also deployed to Al Jabar Air Base in Kuwait to support Operation Southern Watch. Show less