I joined the leadership team at EnergyRM to modernize and bring to market their patented energy modeling technology. I chose to build the tech stack around TypeScript, with a React frontend and a Node.js backend communicating over GraphQL. I lead the product team, owned the roadmap, and engaged regularly with customers to support adoption of the platform.

I worked with the Empatico leadership to refine and realize their MVP, contributing to product and design conversations while leading the engineering effort. I built a tech stack around React (TypeScript) and GraphQL, with a Ruby on Rails API. The team included five entry- and mid-level engineers, who I mentored and supported in their career growth.

After serving as Interim VP of Engineering, I worked remotely as Principal Engineer and created a Platform Team within Kickstarter. On the Platform Team I focused on site stability, critical upgrades, scaling bottlenecks, and strategic architectural investments.

As part of my ongoing commitment to Kickstarter, I filled in as VP of Engineering while we searched for a permanent candidate (I had plans to leave NYC). Responsibilities included regular 1:1s, high level participation in company strategy and product roadmap, and monitoring and improving team processes.

I joined Kickstarter as the only backend engineer and worked mostly solo for the first two years, successfully building and operating the site while also contributing substantively to the founders' vision. When we hired up a full team, I opted to stay on the technical track rather than move into management. In that capacity I focused strategically on whichever layer of the system (frontend, backend, ops, culture & process) needed the most attention.As Lead Engineer I chose to:* lead by example* establish precedent* provide constructive code review* work towards consensus* always remain approachable

Consulting and contracting, primarily for Ruby on Rails development and design.

Assisted with architecture of degree audit system and enclosing application. Took over as CTO after one year, and continued to develop and refine the platform. Transitioned the main data entry component from VB into a full-AJAX tree-based tool in 2004. Worked with colleges on data transport and single sign-on integrations.

UserVoice is the next step in online customer feedback. It's a way for users to give feedback on sites/products they care about, and for site owners to make sense of what the users think individually and as a group.At UserVoice, I was the technical founder - I architected, developed, and scaled the UserVoice backend's first incarnation. UserVoice's unique challenge was how much of its functionality fit into the main page -- it was an excellent opportunity to work on performance optimizations and build out a system of nested fragment caching.

I joined Rich White on his AjaxScaffold project and pushed its evolution to the next level under the new ActiveScaffold name. This wildly successful plugin raised the bar for automated scaffolding and model management in Ruby on Rails. I also wrote the majority of the technical documentation at www.activescaffold.com.

UPG was a startup targetting project management and financial feedback tools at SMB. But the window of opportunity closed before we were ready.

Architected a switch to a scalable Ruby on Rails platform built on core tools and services for QualitySmith's planned network. Worked on ActiveScaffold as a tool-level component of that platform.