In university, my plan was to major in astronomy, but after the 2008 financial crisis happened, I decided I was done taking out student loans, so I went back to Northwest Vista College and focused on Digital Media and web development. While I was there, I worked as a lab tech in the Digital Media department, where students came to me when they were stuck, and it was my job to have an answer or find who did. In every subsequent job I’ve had since Vista, it’s been my role to figure things out and make things work.
I’ve been experimenting with and using AI tooling to further my own knowledge and expertise in how to build modern web-accessible sites. I’m currently building sites in React, Next.js, and TypeScript using Sanity CMS; check out the Teleport Atlas case study. Being caught up in a reduction in force (RIF) hasn’t slowed me down in the coding projects I’ve created, the articles I’ve written, and the kind words from my former colleagues.
Career
Northwest Vista College — 1.5 years
Lab Tech, Digital Media & Cinematography
Assisted students with software and equipment questions, managed lab operations, installed and maintained workstations, and organized the equipment library. First exposure to what it means to be the person who figures things out. My manager Alan Garner told me I was never allowed to say no. I was always supposed to find the solution to any issues that appeared, even if it meant finding someone else who knew the answer to them.
PPDG — Professional Performance Development Group — 1 year
Web Developer (Webmaster)
Built and maintained the company's public-facing site in Joomla, which accepted resumes from medical personnel seeking placement at military facilities. Designed and developed an employee portal that let medical staff log in, view required documents, and submit completed forms directly into the HR system. Rebuilt the Plaza Lecea event center website for easy content management. Trained approximately 30 HR professionals on the portal after launch, running multiple sessions until the team was fully self-sufficient.
Gray Digital Group — 8 years
Web Developer
Worked across 30+ client sites spanning WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, Sitefinity, and dotCMS. Led the full project lifecycle on many engagements, from initial client meetings through wireframes, design iterations, development, and post-launch training. Clients ranged from small businesses to hospitals, law firms, podcast networks, medical research centers, and land companies. Regularly consulted with account executives, senior developers, and partners to solve problems no one else wanted to touch. Trained clients on their CMS after every launch.
Seismic — 3.5 years
Senior Web Developer
Joined during a high-stakes rebrand: a six-month project compressed into three, with a cross-functional team of 20+ across development, design, content, SEO, and brand. In the middle of this project, I transitioned from creating new code to leading the QA triage for new pages. The 2022 launch drove a 50% increase in site visitors. Built custom Gutenberg blocks, led the migration from TranslatePress to WPML, and trained a team of three content producers and the EMEA regional teams on the new localization workflow. A second 1,000-page migration followed in 2025, this time from WordPress to Sitecore. It required a reverse proxy, set up assisted by the IT team, to keep the site live through cutover. When Seismic transitioned to a new agency, I and our WordPress agency partner documented every development standard, analytics configuration, and production workflow we had, then trained the incoming team of six.
How can I assist your organization?
Senior Web Developer
Currently available for full-time or contract roles. Remote-first, flexible schedule.
Skills & Technologies
CMS
WordPress, Drupal, Sitecore, Joomla, Sanity
Languages
PHP, JavaScript (ES6+)
Frontend
HTML, CSS/SCSS
Static sites
Jekyll, Liquid, GitHub Pages, static site generators
Accessibility
WCAG 2.1 AA, axe, Lighthouse, HTML validation
Tools
Git, Gutenberg blocks, Docker, Webpack, esbuild, pnpm
Build and CI
GitHub Actions, HTMLProofer, Snyk, gitleaks, Dependabot
Integrations
Google Maps API, GA4, REST APIs, WPML
AI-assisted development
Claude Code, AI-assisted build and review workflows
Currently building with
React, Next.js, TypeScript, Sanity
What I do best
Architect CMS projects that allow non-technical users to work independently. Custom Gutenberg blocks, complex migrations that don’t drop search rankings, API integrations eliminating double data entry tasks, and front-ends built to allow the next developer to move the work forward. Having conducted interviews, trainings, and team meetings, I’ve become comfortable speaking truthfully in front of my teams in order to get the best results for our stakeholders.
Even before my time at Northwest Vista College as a lab tech, “No” was never the answer I could give to a question or request being made of me. It has always been my job to find the answer or the person who did.
How I work
Every project I’ve run started with client or stakeholder meetings to work out what the site has to accomplish, followed by wireframes and design iterations before any code was written. On the build, I read the design spec first and flag anything that will cause a development problem, then implement the component, build a full page with it, and send it back for stakeholder review before it launches. QA and testing is a step of its own covering browser support, HTML validation, script errors, and usability.
When I’m reviewing AI code, I’m more concerned about items that have security risks or high-impact implications to the project as a whole. Just like with individual tasks you work on throughout your day, you need to be cognizant of the ordering you choose and pick your battles. For frivolous components, such as a purely design-driven item, I’m not nearly as concerned. For instance, the supply-chain implications of using pnpm over npm and supply-chain hardening are things I’m more diligent on, as opposed to a hero background, which is purely decorative. Follow the design system, follow the specifications, build for performance and optimize for the user, but triple check the things that have high impact. That is my driving goal.
After launch I document the development standards, the analytics configuration, and the production workflows, then train the people who will be running the site. That has meant about 30 HR professionals at PPDG, client groups of 1 to 6 at Gray Digital Group, three content producers and the EMEA regional teams at Seismic, and the six-person agency team that took over seismic.com.
Testing
If you’re building an application that has business logic and it’s going to be long-lived and you need to make sure that it’s doing exactly what it needs to do and nothing more, unit testing is needed there. On a marketing website, I feel it’s added complexity for something that’s going to be short-lived. Visual regression testing is what I would add to a marketing website. It’s easy to automate and gives you a visual indication when something breaks.
I’ve had discussions with other developers who say you can just have AI write the testing for you. However, the AI tool might not be testing the right thing, and you still need to understand what’s being tested in the first place. Testing isn’t always about whether it’s doing what I need it to do; it’s about the edge cases, and the AI tool might not pick up on those. It is a developer’s job to make sure things are getting done correctly, not just that they are done.
What I’m looking for
Remote-first work with a flexible schedule. In-house, agency, or contract. Open to the right problem.
Outside of work: I spend a lot of time on YouTube and experimenting with AI tools, plus whatever apartment project I’ve decided I should probably finally finish.
Want to get in touch? Connect on LinkedIn or send an email .