I’m an avid problem solver. I enjoy using applicable data to find pragmatic solutions. Using my toolbelt of analytical skills; creativity, curiosity and a good perspective help me partition complex problems into sustainable solutions. I’ve also had experience pulling significance from sparse data sets, through both confident interpretation and mathematical interpolation.
HouseCanary's evolution into a national brokerage has turned up a wealth of new data streams to tap into. This has paired well with my growth as a Software Engineer where I'm taking more direct responsibilities in coalescing standardized data from seemingly disparate data feeds.
I worked on our data factory ETL pipeline managing configurations. HouseCanary's product line relies on deep-dive evaluations across the United States, but with that comes a lot of responsibility in standardization. Much of which is solved through scalable configurations. As those feeds and that ingestion scaled, I had the opportunity to scratch that Financial Analyst itch of modeling, monitoring, and alerting as we built out metrics for cross-team processes.
I worked with our budding schools in Tennessee as we navigated the intricate debut of public charter schools to Memphis and surrounding Shelby County. This encompassed forecasting anything from federal grants / staffing needs / enrollment to passing information up or downstream to Tennessee’s unique Achievement School District. I had the opportunity to undertake many projects in name of efficiency and more-over, accuracy. These encompassed mapping the state of California's chart of accounts to that of Tennessee's through SQL and some clever Excel pivot lookup tables. This process was necessary to preserve the proven reimbursement process of our veteran California schools.
I streamlined Aspire's Nutrition Program and conducted both State and Federal reporting for our 14,000+ students over 30 California schools. My background in food service and federal regulations such as HACCP gave me a smooth transition into financially understanding and managing our Nutrition Program. Using my toolbelt in Excel, VBA, and Python; I sped up our reimbursement process with California's state and federal programs through multiple rigorous systems in account reconciliation, financial/attendance reporting, and trimming of excess costs. The strength in this consolidation was highlighted as I lead our program through its first audit in four years conducted by the USDA.
I worked in the best university dining halls in the US as a Student Manager. I supported any of our five Assistant Managers during events to ensure a smooth transition in our schedules, duties, and training. I also owned our quality of service and answered to any grievances from our clientele; whether it be Virginia Tech Football, undergrads, or the Mother of the Bride (yeah, that level of accountability)
I learned that, in customer service leadership, my customers are the employees I work directly with. Getting smiles onto everyone's face early in the shift made for enjoyable work and helped everyone temporarily escape the general stresses of being an undergraduate.
As a server, I quickly learned the value of teamwork and being on the same page as those I was working with. There's a fine line between pal-ing around and falling in line when working in service roles, but on a higher level, we do it all as a team.
Here I got my first taste of Reliability Engineering working on the GPS OCX program. A large undertaking, the program required a thorough testing regimen at all steps of it’s growth. I was a member of the RMA team (Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability) with a focus on overall upkeep of the complex ground system. I helped keep the model properly documented for publishing to Government oversight committees. On occasion I was given the wheel in corrections and revaluations of this model using VSPAR, a software dedicated to far-reaching Monte Carlo simulations.
Along with this rigorous simulation, I also had the experience of standardizing outcomes for the FMECA model (Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis). This analysis’ interpretation was important in evaluating outcomes of the system and tagging unnecessary risk. In essence, we were finding vulnerable components through the use of post-processed data. Once this data had been gathered, I was tasked with scripting each outcome into a series of tags for use in the components respective departments.
By the time I made it into the office, I had an illustrious career flipping burgers, cleaning pots, and taking orders across many different diner joints. There weren't many opportunities to learn git or Python in these situations, but I did learn very valuable lessons in teamwork. First and foremost is that if you're working back of house, your clientele isn't the patrons, but the waiters and hosts that bring you business through providing service for those patrons (in exchange for dishes, of course). The corollary is that if you are working front of house, it often makes more sense to prioritize the happiness of back of house than the happiness of patrons. When people will forever be curmudgeons (especially in this review-app driven dining age), it so much easier to cut your losses, sit back and have a laugh through the order window.