Mobile Experience
iOS
I began writing mobile applications when the iPhone 3GS came out. After getting my first iPhone, and using the apps on it, I knew this was the future and that I wanted to build apps for it. I bought a Mac Mini and begin to learn Objective-C, Xcode, and the finer points of making iOS applications.
Since that time, I have worked for many companies developing their iOS applications. I have built applications that accessed online backups, allowed doctors to capture their patient charges and communicate with their care team, mapped out municipal electrical grids, tracked tagged assets and people, connected with smart tools, displayed video and telemetry from an automated drone, and controlled wifi mesh routers.
I have connected with various backend systems, including AWS, Google, Azure, and Clearblade. I have written connectivity libraries for Bluetooth LE, enabled automatic wifi SSID connections, and setup pub/sub messaging via MQTT. I have worked with various IoT systems, including Amazon, Azure, and Clearblade.
Android
I have written one Android application, using Xamarin’s Mono for Android in 2012. The application parsed GeoPDF files for their embedded map images and displayed them as one would expect Google Maps to do so. I can’t say my experience with Android is all that recent or even fresh, but I still understand some of the challenges Android developers face. That is sufficient, I believe, to start managing a team with Android developers on it.
Microsoft HoloLens
I spent about six months with the Microsoft HoloLens while at Stanley Black & Decker. I learned how to write software using its unique user interface of gestures and voice commands. The applications I wrote utilized image recognition and world mesh interaction. As a side-effect of working with the HoloLens, I also picked up a working knowledge of Unity.
Management Experience
Team Lead & Architect
For the past decade and a half, I have been the lead developer on most of my teams. This means that I have been responsible for insuring the code is well-maintained, the stories are well-defined, and applications are well-architected. My experience in the full software development lifecycle means that I am responsible for taking the product from the drawing board through the first MVP release and on through the later iterations of the product. I know how to architect the product to prevent as much technical debt as is foreseeable and to allow for as much future-proofing as possible. I ask the hard questions up front, fill in the specification gaps, and attempt to roadmap the technical needs for any impending feature set.
I know the value of team communication, especially between Product, Design, Development, and Quality Assurance. I work to maintain open and trouble-free lines of communication between all parties so that everyone knows what to expect at each stage of the process.
I firmly believe in the value of unit testing, and always argue in favor of the time to do so. I believe that unit tests should strive to cover the first standard deviation of testing (absolute value—68%). Ideally, developer testing should cover the second standard deviation (and this includes integration testing). Quality assurance should be able to cover the remaining of any needed testing.
Mentoring
I have been fortunate to be able to mentor junior developers. I find great joy in doing so, and I have discovered an immense passion for enabling my teammates to be their best. At Stanley Black & Decker, I was able to create a Mobile Developers Guild with the express purpose of passing knowledge between teams and coworkers, and this greatly enhanced my ability to mentor other developers. While at Stanley, I was also in charge of several technical interns where I was able to sponsor and foster their projects.
I was blessed with great mentors when I was a junior developer, and I feel that I have a pressing need and a sense of responsibility to pay that forward as much as possible.
Scrum Mastering
The Agile Methodology is never interpreted the same way by different teams, even within the same organization. I have been the Scrum Master for several of my teams, officially and unofficially. My takeaway from this experience is that stories and sprints are only as useful as the effort put in to them. Good stories need enough detail that everyone understands what to expect in designing, developing, testing, and accepting a feature. Too little and that circle repeats because of confusion. Too much and not only is time wasted on the story, but the parties involved are not able to be flexible in their arenas. It’s a fine balance, and I am accustomed to calibrating that balance for my teams.
TEAM Managing
Throughout the years I’ve had different types of experiences managing people. I have managed teams of developers spread across the country, given performance reviews, interviewed and hired employees. I believe in empowering my teams to succeed while clearing hurdles to their success. I believe communication is vital to team management and cohesion, especially when that team is remote. I have written a blog post that describes some of my management philosophy. It can be found here.
Budgeting
While I ran my comic and game store, I was responsible for all the budgeting, sales, inventory, marketing and payroll. I learned how to balance the financial requirements of my employees with the needs of my business. I learned how to anticipate budget shortfalls and accommodate necessities without indulging in excesses.
While I was the chapter lead of Pride & Allies, I was given a budget to work within for planning events, including our first entry into the Atlanta Pride Parade in 2018. I successfully negotiated with several vendors to work within our budget for the decorations, tee shirts, and swag giveaways. The experience from my store days navigating the vendor marketplace directly translated into the corporate realm for this position.
DIVERSITY & INCLUSION EXPERIENCE
At Rightpoint, I also created and lead the Pride@RP Employee Resource Group. The ERG Leadership Team consists of a few dedicated and passionate individuals that work in their spare time to ensure a respectful and welcoming environment for all LGBTQIA+ employees at Rightpoint. I connect with outside organizations in the Pride space for sponsorship, speakers, and recruiting. I report up to the DEI Executive Council, which oversees all the ERGs, and directs company policy regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through this structure, I have led change in policies regarding recruitment, pronoun usage, onboarding, and handling of employees as they come out to the company.
At Stanley Black & Decker, I was the Atlanta Chapter Lead of their Pride & Allies employee resource group. Because of this standing, and my coming out while at Stanley, I was involved with their Diversity & Inclusion initiatives. One of the key aspects of managing, in my opinion, is understanding and recognizing unconscious bias in the workplace and the hiring process. I strive to ensure that all of the teams I am part of are diverse, inclusive, and safe places to be one’s true self.
