I received my B.S. in Physics from Santa Clara University and my Ph.D. in Physics from Princeton University. During and after my years at Princeton, I conducted research at both Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and NASA Ames Research Center's Space Sciences Division, focusing primarily on astrophysics and computational fluid dynamics.
The Transition to Software & Agile
After my career in science, I transitioned into software engineering, where I worked for a variety of companies before moving into software project management as PMO Manager for StarCite. There I discovered firsthand that traditional project planning approaches, when applied to software development, often produced schedules that were more aspiration than reality.
When the company's COO announced the need for a more Agile approach to software development, I pioneered the adoption of Scrum and served as Scrum Master for three concurrent engineering teams. The results were striking: visibility into development status improved dramatically, and project slippages became visible early enough for the teams to respond effectively.
After layoffs affected the company in 2008, I deepened my focus on Agile methods and earned certifications as a Project Management Professional (PMP) from the Project Management Institute, as well as Certified Scrum Master (CSM) and Certified Scrum Professional (CSP) certifications from the Scrum Alliance.
Expanding Agile Horizons
I later became Chief Scientist at Cprime, an Agile consulting and training company, where I joined as the company's first in-house Agile expert. My role was to provide the expertise and develop the intellectual property that enabled the company's expansion into Agile consulting and training.
Over the years, I developed numerous classes covering practical Scrum for both software and hardware development, Kanban, Agile Program Management, Agile Portfolio Management, Advanced Product Owner, and PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam preparation. In addition to developing training materials, I authored case studies, white papers, and blog articles while delivering consulting and training engagements for a wide range of clients.
In 2019, I left Cprime to establish an independent consulting practice focused on improving execution and product development in complex hardware and software engineering organizations.