AccuWeather

Outlined user stories, use cases, and directed vision for new products and features (see below) with a focus on reducing customer friction, reducing costs, and increasing performance.  Guided timelines, roadmapping, tasking, and prioritization of team's workload.

Architected a migration of microservices from Service Fabric to Azure Kubernetes (AKS), including conversion of SF specialized functionality such as reliable storage and service partitioning.  This also involved major upgrades to microservices to provide more dynamic and adaptable workflow processing.

Created effective presentations that break down large scale technical solutions for executive stakeholders and non-technical product team roles in an easily accessible and understood format.

Participated on Diversity Equity and Inclusion committee as an LGBTQIA+ and Neurodiversity advocate and as a reviewer of the Inclusive Journalism Guidelines.

Designed a solution to create page/app screen and context specific ad configurations server side on the fly that is currently processing millions of ad rules per second in production at www.accuweather.com with a extensible in-house developed rules engine.  This config integrates with prebid libraries and Google Ad Manager and has led to dramatically increased revenue through customization and rapid live A|B testing.

Architected a system using that same rules engine to process severe weather alerts and distribute them to third party clients based on client configurations and product offerings.

Created several proof of concepts including LLM work using GPT/Microsoft Semantic Kernel and React Native (Expo) to showcase rule-driven weather data delivery and dynamic display updates based on semantic weather information.

Strategic Architect III (Equiv. Principle Solutions Architect)

As the acting product owner and software architect for the AWX Core Team, I helped build the team from the ground up.  I have conducted stakeholder interviews, requirements gathering sessions, competitor analysis and been responsible for creating product requirements specifications,  vision, roadmaps, and architectures for several internal systems.  These include SDKs across four platforms (iOS, Android, .Net, and Node.js) used by all our flagship products, a collaborative team-based Mock API, rules engine and workflow systems, and world class ad analytics / ad serving systems.  These systems make heavy use of a variety of Azure technologies including Service Fabric, App Services, Service Bus, etc.  Where needed, they are all designed to scale efficiently, be fault tolerant, and minimize cost.  I have also acted as the team lead, supervising developer work, providing constructive feedback, and encouraging growth.

I conducted a self-directed technical and quantitative analysis of client-side ad performance to determine cause of website revenue decreases, leading to the creation of real-time, scalable ad analytics services. Data from those services were used by development teams to resolve revenue issues and increase revenue over baseline for a total increase of 39% ad revenue as reported in a Google case study (https://admanager.google.com/home/resources/accuweather-earns-ad-revenue-after-optimizing-site-performance/). 

Enterprise-wide, I also review product requests for technical feasibility and architecture requirements prior to approval for downstream apps to begin development. This includes review and planning for performance, scalability, cost, internal technology alignment, and generalization to future scopes. This can include architecture diagrams, systems documentation, and reviewing or creating request specifications With this role, I often help facilitate communication between the various teams engaged in a particular project.

Strategic Architect II (Equiv. Senior Solutions Architect)

Actively involved in product design suggestions for future direction of web properties and feature design for existing products using knowledge of both audience segments on AccuWeather’s different platforms, as well as an understanding of the current and future needs of our business partners and internal stakeholders.

Developing and maintaining ASP.Net/MVC websites (www.accuweather.com and m.accuweather.com) that receive millions of requests daily.

Architecture design, project management, and lead developer for the prototype reference architecture of existing website systems to facilitate cloud-based hosting (Azure) and leverage state of the art technologies.  This reference architecture uses microservices and increased server performance by 300%, and reduced API requests by up to 90% per page view (MVPVM, Service Fabric, .Net Core).  These technologies and patterns have since been implemented in the AccuWeather SDK, and ongoing modernization efforts for www.accuweather.com. 

Designed/implemented custom JavaScript ad management system on top of Google Publisher Tags to enable rapid modifications to ad slots, targeting, and persistent storage.  This resulted in enhanced the user experience for tens of thousands of users and a significant boost in company revenue.

Senior Developer

Twilight Smith

Currently designing jewelry items influenced by fantasy fiction settings.  This site is more than just fantastic jewelry - it links those items to a deep world through the exploration of their lore and fictional histories.

Technical - implemented responsive site in .Net Core 1.0 with bootstrap, integrated with Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, and Facebook.  Implemented a browser-based jewelry designer for Celtic Ogham pendants, integrating with Etsy API for sales and Azure for 3d model storage.  3d modeling takes place on the browser itself, works well on mobile devices.

I'm responsible for all graphic design and jewelry design.

Owner / Jewelry Designer

Penn State University

Dissertation: Game Features and Trust in an MMORPG.
Investigating the link between game features and the development of trust and swift trust in virtual teams within a game environment.  For this research, I have extended a cognitive psychology model of trust with concepts from behavioral economics and sociology to create a social process model of trust development and evaluation.  A modified version of Adaptive Structuration Theory is used as a sociological lens for evaluating qualitative data (via directed content analysis) gained through semi-structured interviews within an analytic induction framework.  Key theories: Cognitive Trust, Swift Trust, Social Comparison and Identity, Motivated Tactician, Structuration, Adaptive Structuration,Game Flow, Self-Determination Theory.

Researcher/Ph.D. Candidate

Big River Telephone

Consulted management on product design, project planning, and team management strategies, consulted on design decisions and implementation details by other developers (Kanban, Trello, TRAC, Agile methods, UML, Visio, Capability Maturity Model, Requirements Gathering, IT consulting).

Analyzed stakeholder usage and customer needs to create layout and graphical designs for several internal and B2B websites and applications (HTML, CSS2, Illustrator, Photoshop, User Centric Design).

Designed and implemented many internal and B2B applications and websites (C#, ASP.Net, PHP, JavaScript, jQuery, CSS), services (WCF, SOAP), frameworks, libraries, and a multiplatform mobile app (PhoneGap, jQuery, ASP.Net Web Methods).   

System/Applications include two custom Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, inventory control, workflow engine management and integration, trouble ticket management, system for real-time business intelligence and status dashboards, order management, and user management.

Other Key Technologies: JSON, AJAX, MSSQL / SQL Server, PostgreSQL, PostGIS, Bing Maps, XML, Persona Centric Design, UX, svn, Sage SalesLogix CRM, ASP Charts, MSMQ, MySQL, Ruby, Java, Windows Server 2003-2008 r2, Linux

Designed and implemented prototype distributed workflow engine to increase throughput and stability beyond existing system.   Tests were 12x faster than existing system at ~50k steps per hour, and scalable per-CPU core for addition 12x.  Included mechanisms for self-correction of errors, load balancing, fault-tolerance with hot service registration, and step processing scalability.  Multi-threaded multi-service (C#, ZeroMQ [0MQ], T-SQL).

Senior Application Developer (2006-2009) / Consultant (2009-2014)

Telecommunity Games LLC

Developed build pipeline to generate source code and databases from models and asset data. Designed and implemented major features of two game engines (XNA, C#, Pixel Shader, HLSL, git, SQLite, Serious Games) with a plugin extensible architecture.  Plugins could manage rendering, input, game states, game objects, audio, and a dynamic event system. Included skeletal animation framework, renderer compositing systems, user-extensible architecture for mods, tile management for 2D games Coordinated with others to design gameplay mechanics for multiple games (OneNote, Jira, UML)   Developed game asset and data management tool (LC Forge) for dynamically defined datatypes and custom editor/visualization systems.  Includes node-graph visualization and editing (C#, Windows Presentation Foundation, WPF, git, CouchDB / NoSQL, OneNote API). Worked on AI sandbox virtual world engine with Unity3D (C#) using a procedurally generated world.  Designed gameplay graphics in 16bit and painted art styles (Photoshop, Illustrator), and logo design (Rhino 3d).

C# / WPF.  LC Forge was originally intended as an application to allow for managing game assets and editing of non-linear narrative/story components and game flow, this project has expanded significantly.  It is now a domain-neutral editor for dynamically defined data of different types that provides developers with a framework for integrating custom data manipulation and visualization components that are specific for their needs while still providing universally accessible data access to other components.   Currently, some basic modules are implemented for asset viewing, data editing, node-graph (visualization, manipulation, and extension) in addition to editors that allow users to define their own datatypes.  Custom complex datatypes can implement a variety of data fields including basic data (integers, strings, etc.), references to data and assets, and embedded tables from other definitions.

Lead Developer

Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM 2014)

I was responsible for aligning synergies between multiple distributed teams for optimized collection and distribution of documents via an internet facing media delivery system with an integrated Drupal CMS.  Additional responsibilities include visual presentation design, content collection logistics management, keyword disambiguation, coordinating with and integrating social media teams (Facebook and Twitter), and CV SEO.

Chair of Web and Media (2014)

Taught students the fundamentals of multithreaded and network programming.  Developed hybrid Java/PHP web application to assist batch compilation and evaluation of students’ Java assignments.

Graduate Teaching Assistant - Concurrency and Distributed Object Computing

My role in this course was primarily as a resource to students to aid in technical decisions/problem solving.  Additionally, I helped students connect the course material to real-life situations so they could understand how it could be applied.  Other responsibilities include grading of design documentation, essay exam questions, and miscellaneous assignments.  In some cases, I acted as a liaison between the students and their assigned clients.  Student teams worked with companies including HP, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Becton Dickinson (BD), PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Progressive, EMC, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Graduate Teaching Assistant - Advanced Enterprise Integration

Immersive Security Education Environment (I-SEE), Second Life / OpenSim, Information security creative learning modules in immersive environments - module design, game play design, software engineering, 3D Modeling, graphic design, server management, virtual machine management, developed automated deployment method for modules, assisted deployment and instrumentation of modules at multiple PSU campuses and Rochester Institute of Technology, manage tasks for team’s undergraduate students, assisted in hiring process

Second Life / OpenSim, (Information security creative learning modules in immersive environments)

Design-Designed modules, game play elements, 3D Modeling, graphic design

System-Server management, virtual machine management, developed automated deployment method for modules, assisted deployment and instrumentation of modules at multiple PSU campuses and Rochester Institute of Technology 

Project Management-Managed development teams, assisted in hiring process, assisted running user training workshops

Development-Modified OpenSim server code and build files, implemented gameplay scripts (C#, Mono, git, RHEL).


Assisted running ISEE User Training Workshops (2011-08-17, Penn State Altoona)

Graduate Research Assistant

Intelligent Mesh Technologies

Developed data visualization of distributed wireless mesh network over time using Google Maps API, L-CHARMS, JSON, jQuery, jQuery UI, PHP.

Consultant

Cambridge Matrix Ltd

Director

Cambridge Matrix Ltd.

Designed Library-Catalog Hierarchy Access, Retrieval, and Manipulation System (L-CHARMS), this is an experimental re-envisioning of desktop user experience with advanced file organization features and automated application layout.

Designed and implemented the Matrix Management System (MMS), a custom CRM solution. In addition to customer management, the MMS provides features for managing partner software licenses, provisioning wireless mesh nodes, mesh node connectivity visualization, and customizing splash page templates. Also designed many of the splash login pages used by partner companies; examples available upon request.

Senior System Developer

I want to help people - keep them safe, improve their lives and well-being.  Sometimes this means building systems that alert during an emergency, other times its talking through concerns and challenges.  Often, I try to speak to advocate for the people who cannot safely speak or find difficulty doing so.  I have a unique blend of social science research background, software architecture and development, and product management.  No problems, just opportunities.

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