In recent work history, I have focused on leadership development. I've designed and built programs to help individual contributors develop leadership skills that have enabled them to become strong team leads and even executives within the company. I have led teams, led team leads, and mentored individual contributors and leads across the whole company, while focusing chiefly on leads within the support department. I'm especially interested in mentorship and have played a key role in improving performance management. While I have served in team lead, lead-of-leads, program manager, program director, and strategic roles, I most enjoy doing hands-on work to help people develop their leadership skills.I've served in a few other capacities with Automattic, including software engineering and troubleshooting, engineering management, and even hiring roles. Prior to working at Automattic, I did software engineering and systems administration for several companies. I've worked remotely since 2005 and strongly prefer to work remotely.My degree was in English literature and writing, and aside from strong communication skills, my other job skills are ones I've learned either on the job or out of personal curiosity (often both).Outside of work, I'm a hobbyist blacksmith, an avid reader of fiction, a sometime-player of Dungeons & Dragons, a fan and former player of an Irish sport called hurling, and, as may be obvious by now, a serial hobbyist.