I am currently a Senior Full Stack Software Developer and Team Lead at the wonderful Lean Techniques.

To arrive at this point I have had to be:

• a front-end developer
• a program director
• an advisor
• an educator
• a designer
• a student (x2)
• an artist

All of these things have informed and guided my development. Not just as a developer, but as an effective team member and lead (depending on the contract). No single position has given me 100% of the knowledge or skills I now use regularly. Without my design and education experience, I would not be able to lead or facilitate a healthy, functioning team. Likewise, without my programming skills: I would not be a productive member of a team or to a project.

As a philosophy: developing the right thing requires the input and skills of the whole team. That includes the development team, the designers, the stakeholders. It means asking a lot of questions to get the clearest picture possible of the end goal. It means having the kind of team where everyone’s voice can contribute and help leadership and stakeholders make the most informed decisions that they can.

That also means welcoming all variety of interests, skills, and talents from those I work with. No one is just a developer, leader, tester, stakeholder, etc. I wouldn’t be who I am if I did not pursue a myriad of interests that all end up working together (even if I didn’t realize it at the time).