Software Development Engineer in Test II
Verisk
Lehi, UT (Hybrid)
Sep 2024 - Present
Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
- Spearheading AI-powered QA proof of concept. Reduced 8 hours of UI test writing to 10 minutes.
- Built GraphQL contract testing framework from scratch in our monorepo. First of its kind in our ecosystem.
- Rewrote our Playwright framework to actually use TypeScript's type system. The compiler catches bugs before they exist.
- Created comprehensive onboarding guide where none existed. Now requested by multiple QA teams for their own use.
- When I saw UI heading toward user-hostile patterns, I prototyped fixes in React. Changed minds, saved user experience.
- One of four engineers shaping QA strategy for the future ofour $100M+ flagship product.
- Took on the WCF-to-REST migration everyone avoided. Zero production incidents across 6 environments.
Key Skills:
Full Stack Software Engineer - Independent & Contract Work
Freelance Development & Personal Projects
Salt Lake City, UT
Jan 2020 - Present
Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
- Actively shipping production applications across multiple stacks for 5+ years: Laravel, Next.js, React, Vue.js, Python - 15+ client projects delivered.
- Full-stack versatility: Built social platforms with Laravel/React, e-commerce with Next.js, PWAs with Vue.js/FastAPI, always choosing the right tool for each project.
- Modern JavaScript expertise: React/TypeScript component libraries, Next.js applications, Vue.js SPAs—delivering performant frontends across frameworks.
- Built AI-driven text adventure game using React/TypeScript with OpenAI integration, showcasing ability to integrate cutting-edge tech into any stack.
- Developed production PWA (NutriSimple) with Vue.js frontend and Python/FastAPI backend, proving framework-agnostic problem-solving abilities.
- Modernized legacy codebases across PHP, Node.js, and Python projects—implementing best practices, automated testing, and CI/CD regardless of stack.
- Integrated payment processing (Stripe, PayPal), third-party APIs, and headless CMS solutions across Laravel, Next.js, and custom Node.js applications.
- Created custom MCP servers and experimental AI tools using TypeScript and Python, staying at the frontier of development practices.
Key Skills:
Software Development Engineer in Test I / QA Team Lead
Verisk
Lehi, UT (Hybrid)
Feb 2023 - Sep 2024
Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
- Built an API testing library that spread organically across teams. Changed how we think about test reliability.
- Created visibility into service-to-service communication. Previously untestable workflows became transparent.
- Started 'paper cuts' initiative to fix small annoyances. Leadership adopted the idea.
- Automated CAB ticket creation by aggregating data across multiple APIs. Saved project managers hours weekly.
- Selected as first QA engineer for new backend services team—essentially serving as Team Lead from day one.
- Spent 100+ personal hours fixing internal tools. Broken tools waste everyone's time.
- Investigated 1,200+ automated tests, fixing the flaky ones. Each fix was a small victory against chaos.
Key Skills:
Full Stack Software Engineer - Contract
Nine Design + Web
Salt Lake City, UT (Remote)
Jan 2023 - Jan 2024
Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
- Spearheaded enterprise social platform using Laravel 8/PHP, implementing real-time features and RESTful APIs.
- Designed scalable MySQL schemas supporting complex relationships and activity feeds.
- Built authentication systems, notification services, and data processing pipelines.
- Collaborated with React developers to define API contracts and ensure smooth integration.
Key Skills:
Full Stack Web Developer
Maiden Voyage Software
Ogden, UT
Sep 2022 - Jan 2023
Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
- Engineered backend features for SaaS CRM using Laravel/PHP, including API endpoints and background jobs.
- Greenfielded new client application from ground up: designed database schema, built React component library with Storybook.
- Optimized database queries achieving 3x performance improvement in critical workflows.
- Implemented comprehensive PHPUnit test suites ensuring code reliability.
- Built real-time data sync features between frontend and backend systems.
Key Skills:
Research Associate and Automation Solution Specialist
Scintillant Bioscience
Murray, UT
Jan 2020 - Jan 2023
Key Responsibilities & Achievements:
- Turned 30-minute data processes into sub-second operations with Python. Watching progress bars disappear never got old.
- Automated 20+ hours of weekly busywork. Scientists could finally do science.
- Built image analysis that spotted patterns humans missed. Sometimes computers see better.
- Ran live-cell assays with meditation-level patience and Swiss-watch precision.
- Every assay I designed was a step toward someone's cure.
Key Skills:
Technical Skills & Systems Design
AI & LLM Technologies
Languages
Frameworks & Libraries
Systems Design
Education
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Weber State University | Ogden, UT
January 2023
Specializations: Web Development, Game Development
GPA: 4.0 | With Honors
Bachelor of Science in Biology, Philosophy
Utah Valley University | Orem, UT
May 2018
GPA: 3.5 | Honors Program Graduate
Key Achievements & Leadership
AI Innovation Leader
Spearheading department-wide AI adoption with frameworks modeled across teams
Full Stack Delivery
Shipped production Laravel applications, React SPAs, and Python APIs
Technical Transformation
Achieving 90% faster feature delivery through AI tool mastery
Architecture Impact
Created backend libraries and APIs adopted company-wide
Rapid Learning
Consistently delivering senior-level work, earning fast-track promotion
Philosophy & Approach
Software exists to serve people. That's my north star.
I practice compound engineering: building tools that create tools, automating the automators, designing systems that multiply productivity exponentially. This philosophy led me to architect department-wide libraries at Verisk and create frameworks that transformed how entire teams work. When you solve problems at the meta level, impact compounds.
AI isn't just another tool in my toolkit. It's a force multiplier that fundamentally changes what's possible. I ship in hours what used to take weeks because I've learned to think with AI, not just use it. LLMs are collaborators in a new form of software evolution. While others debate AI's role, I'm already building at the frontier with MCP servers, agentic systems, and production applications that showcase what human-AI collaboration can achieve.
But speed without purpose is meaningless. Every line of code I write, every system I architect, every tool I create serves a human need. The goal isn't to replace solid engineering with AI tricks. It's to amplify our ability to solve real problems for real people, faster and better than ever before.