Michael Kraft Email & Phone Number

Success in product management and technology policy requires creativity, an analytical focus, an understanding of best practices, and plenty of hard work. But it also requires a host of interpersonal skills: the ability to build and sustain relationships, a willingness to influence others, and perseverance when technical and interpersonal difficulties arise. Whether dealing with mobile applications, critical line-of-business systems, or the latest micro-services based SaaS systems, having these softer skills has often made the difference between failure and success.Specific areas of expertise include:• Agile project and product management, user research, user-centered design• Product road-mapping, user story mapping, stakeholder engagement• Coaching, mentoring, influencing, and collaboration• Team building, engagement, and supervision• Risk management and mitigation, program design• Analytics, metrics, and KPIs Through my volunteer work, I am able to enlist my technical and interpersonal skills to have a positive impact beyond what I do in my technical roles. Whether it is learning about sustainable farming in Africa, setting up a small nonprofit to respond to a food crisis, or leading as a board member, it is a sense of generosity and a desire for collaborative social change that orients everything I do.Educational credentials include a MA in Policy Studies, a BA in Sociology, and a certificate in Software Engineering from the University of Washington and a certificate in Product Management from King's College London. Industry experience and interests to date spans Enterprise Software, Mobile Applications, Internet (Cloud/SaaS), K-12 Education/EdTech, Higher Education, Government and Public Sector, Nonprofits and Philanthropy, and AI technology and policy.

Listed skills include Testing, Research, Leadership, Project Management, and 32 others.