Who I am

I also have a traditionally formatted resume.

TLDR

I am a self-taught, product-focused Staff-level software engineer with over 12 years of professional experience, blending a strong engineering foundation with a deep understanding of business impact. My early career in Civil Engineering instilled a practical, system-wide approach to problem-solving, which I apply in software by designing solutions that account for the full product and organizational context. I thrive in cross-functional environments where engineering has a strategic voice and where I can influence technical direction, shape architecture, and mentor others to grow their impact. I take pride in leading through collaboration, clarity, and a commitment to high-quality, scalable software.

OK, the long version…

I didn’t start my career in software. I studied Civil Engineering with the intent to design structures—and maybe even roller coasters. After graduation, I worked on bridge and retaining wall design, using traditional engineering practices alongside light automation through custom scripts that processed CAD and survey data. But what really stood out was how inefficient the processes around me were—especially after relocating to a smaller firm in Texas.

At that company, project tracking was a weekly, four-hour meeting around a spreadsheet. It was painful—and I knew there had to be a better way. So I dusted off some PHP skills and built a basic web app that let everyone update the spreadsheet asynchronously. It was rudimentary, but transformational. Around that time, a friend introduced me to Ruby on Rails. After a few nights with the Agile Web Development on Rails tutorial, I was hooked. I realized I didn’t want to design physical structures anymore—I wanted to build software.

That realization led me to sell most of what I owned and move to San Francisco for a role at Mavenlink. There, I learned how to be a professional developer and how to collaborate on complex problems as part of a product-focused team. From there, I joined Equifax, where I worked on modernizing a legacy Rails codebase. While the enterprise environment wasn’t ideal for me long-term, it taught me how to introduce change incrementally and responsibly.

At Stitch Fix, everything clicked. I joined the warehouse engineering team and finally saw my engineering background and software skills converge. I began to approach problems with a systems-thinking mindset—considering not just the software layer, but how it connected to physical processes and real-world constraints. My contributions spanned software, operations, and robotics, and I helped introduce Go as a first-class language for our team. Collaborating with engineers, process designers, and data scientists, I led efforts to digitize and optimize fulfillment workflows, helping define best practices adopted company-wide.

At Framebridge, I continued in a Staff-level capacity—leading cross-functional efforts that improved how the factory prepared, grouped, and shipped orders. My solutions combined software changes with operational process redesign, improving efficiency and reducing error rates significantly.

After a short sabbatical to recover from burnout (and remodel a bathroom), I worked with a career coach who helped me articulate what truly drives me: a deep sense of ownership and a need to work with aligned, empowered stakeholders. That realization led me to Chatkick, where I joined as the only full-time Rails engineer. I owned the technical direction of a five-year-old Rails app, stabilized its infrastructure, made it easier to maintain, and drove the integration of shared services—all while collaborating closely with the founder/CEO. Despite the startup’s early end, it was a defining experience in technical autonomy and impact.

Most recently at Sera Systems, I stepped into a Staff-like role on a high-performing team of senior engineers. I partnered with frontend leads on system architecture, mentored junior engineers through code review and knowledge-sharing sessions, and led the technical execution of key initiatives—ranging from building performance-sensitive API layers to architecting complex data systems in Postgres for time tracking and compliance. I found deep satisfaction in contributing both through code and by amplifying the work of those around me.

Across all of these roles, I’ve gravitated toward positions of technical leadership—whether formal or informal. I work best when I have a seat at the table, collaborating with others who care deeply about building something excellent. I bring a wide lens to problem-solving, grounded in experience, empathy, and a commitment to delivering high-quality, resilient software that moves the business forward.