About

Professional Button Pusher

I sit in front of a screen and push buttons attached to a computer to make things that people find useful. By trade, I’ve served as a Software Engineer, Architect, Engineering Manager and now Director. I enjoy shepherding the mixture of people, process and technology to solve complex business problems at scale. I’ve built mobile applications and websites, e-commerce websites, enterprise integration applications, business support software, REST APIs and SOAP web services; teams, career plans and ladders, and business and technical strategies. While my professional experience has been in a predominately Java-based stack, I love solutions built in any language.

Some of my current favorite things are:

• Bash (I do a lot of scipting as a manager)
• Kafka and stream processing systems
• Kubernetes and distributed architectures
• Docker
• AWS

And I’m learning more and more about data science and analytics.

Rocketman

I love riding motorcycles. So much so, that, on my spare weekends in the summer, I used to teach beginners how to ride at RideChicago motorcycle school. I’ll ride anything with two wheels, but my garage currently houses a 2014 Ducati Hypermotard and (my wife’s) 2016 Ducati Scrambler. I’m also rebuilding a 2005 Husqvarna SMR450. Despite the stereotype, I’m a safety nut. I try to be a positive ambassador for the entire motorcycle community.

Sometimes, Philosopher

I like to think about things. Big things. Like whether evil is required for good to exist. Or where the line between insanity and genius lies. Or what comprises a good person. And definitely about what defines a fulfilled life. I believe that life makes it too easy to get lost in the details. And that by making a conscience effort to consider these existential questions, I make sure that my presence on this world is a positive one - for me and those that I come in contact with.