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My professional journey began in a somewhat unexpected manner. I received the call to join State Farm to code PL/I without quite knowing what PL/I or the mainframe was. This was a humble start to a career that would eventually lead me to where I am today.
My early days at State Farm revolved around mainframe development. I had the privilege of working with COBOL, JCL, and other mainframe technologies. It was a world of green screens, batch processes, and online systems that seemed to be stuck in time. But it was during these foundational years that I began to develop an appreciation for data and efficiency in data access. SQL became a second language to me as I explored more effective ways of accessing data.
My path at State Farm was anything but conventional. I volunteered to learn Java development to address data access issues in our distributed programs. Little did I know that this step would lead to a world of continuous learning and modern programming languages. Unlike the mainframe, where things remained relatively unchanged for years, the world of distributed programming was dynamic, constantly evolving, and filled with opportunities for growth.
I later had the opportunity to participate in setting up a new technical platform. My role in this endeavor focused on the enablement of PostgreSQL, and I embarked on the ambitious task of achieving a multimaster setup. This experience marked a significant period of intense learning and growth.
Transitioning to the Integrated Development Group (iDG) introduced me to agile methodologies and continuous delivery practices. I became part of cross-functional teams, embracing the dynamic and ever-changing landscape of software development. This phase marked my commitment to continuous improvement and the adoption of agile practices.
I reached a point in my career where I realized it was time to shift my focus towards leadership development. This transition was pivotal and marked the first and only time I actively sought a new opportunity. While I cherished my role as a developer in iDG, where I worked on both data and backend development, I was determined to step into a leadership role. This pursuit led me to the position of Test Automation Lead.
As the Test Automation Lead, I embarked on a journey to transform our approach to continuous delivery. I can still recall the moment when I proclaimed that we needed to deliver at the speed of business. Back then, it took us over six months to a year to move from workstation to production. Over the years, across various roles and departments, I continued to address this challenge, ultimately achieving faster delivery times. We now have teams that can deploy to production in a matter of minutes.
My career then transitioned to the role of System Architect and ITIL Practices. In this capacity, I addressed continuous delivery from a process-oriented perspective. Building on my experiences in test automation, I played a role in process transformation. I contributed to our agile transformation and the shift from project to product, which marked a significant cultural shift, granting teams greater autonomy and ownership, thereby enhancing morale and speeding up time to market. After the transformation, I moved from an individual contributor role in architecture to become a Technology Manager.
Transitioning from ITIL Practices, I assumed the role of Technology Manager with a focus on Enterprise DevOps Enablement. This marked a significant shift in my career, as I began to manage the tools and technologies that powered the DevOps processes across the organization. In this role, I ventured into the intricate world of multiple vendor relationships, overseeing multimillion-dollar contracts, and supporting the raw infrastructure that drove our software delivery pipelines.
My responsibilities extended to enabling development teams by implementing and optimizing tools such as GitLab, Jenkins, NIQS, and Checkmarx. The goal was to empower thousands of developers to deliver high-quality software more efficiently. Through automation, we tackled enterprise risks and compliance issues within the DevOps environment.
A pivotal phase in my journey was my involvement in AWS Enablement for our Property and Casualty delivery area, where I played a role in driving the adoption of the AWS platform. This shift was essential, as the on-premise architecture would not scale to meet the modernization needs of our business.
My journey further evolved into AWS Data Enablement, where I delved into the intricate world of enterprise data management. This phase emphasized the importance of data in our modern business landscape. I worked on and was responsible for our overall data architecutre which included but was not limited to; canonical data models, data validation, data consumption, data curation, and schema management. This is where I learned the true power of data and how it can be used to drive our business forward.
My journey took a transformative turn as I transitioned to the role of Technology Director. This transition was both a challenge and an opportunity. It marked a shift to a higher level of leadership, where I was entrusted with a holistic view of the delivery lifecycle, from ideation to deployment. The role of a Technology Director required not only technical expertise but also a keen understanding of strategic leadership.
As Director of Engineering for Product Delivery Experience, I was entrusted with the complete Software Delivery Lifecycle (DevSecOps). I provided leadership and vision for development practices, CI/CD pipelines, test practices, and test environments across the organization.
In this role, I set strategic direction for cloud-native architecture best practices and language usage, while providing leadership direction for 14 first-line leaders and 300 internal, external, and offshore analysts. This phase emphasized the importance of open-source technologies, where I set strategic direction for usage, patching, contributions, and sponsorship of open-source projects. I also had the privilege of stewarding the Engineer career ladder, defining progression paths for Senior, Principal, and Distinguished engineers.
My journey evolved further as I transitioned to Director of Engineering for Enterprise Data Enablement. This role allowed me to focus on the critical intersection of data and engineering excellence. I oversaw the design and implementation of scalable and efficient data pipelines, ETL processes, and data movement solutions, optimizing data integration and transformation across various systems and platforms.
I set strategic direction for cloud-native technologies and best practices, including AWS Data Lake and Query Virtualization tools. Leading a team of first-line leaders and a diverse group of internal, external, and offshore analysts, I fostered a collaborative and high-performing culture.
My journey continues in my current role as Principal Engineer, where I define and refine the architecture and technology direction for how Enterprise Architecture relates to and connects with our asset and configuration management systems. This position focuses on ensuring consistency, traceability, and transparency of technology assets across the enterprise. I lead efforts to modernize and unify asset management and governance processes, collaborating closely with Architecture, IT Asset Management, Information Security, Enterprise Compliance & Ethics, and Risk teams to streamline workflows and eliminate fragmentation.
I develop and implement an integrated asset lineage framework that maps the lifecycle of technology assets from design through deployment, enabling end-to-end observability and improved risk posture. This role also involves driving the adoption and standardization of API strategies, including establishing naming conventions, versioning standards, and architectural best practices to promote consistency, scalability, and efficiency across business functions.
Throughout this journey, I’ve realized the significance of nurturing leaders rather than just managing processes. My path has not been solely about technological advancements but about inspiring and empowering individuals to reach their fullest potential. I support the continuous improvement of engineering practices and standards that drive transparency, agility, and resilience in the technology landscape, which is something I aspire to do better every day.
