About Jesse

👋 Hey, I’m Jesse! I’m a technical leader with a passion for web performance, human-computer interaction, and reliability. Most recently, I was part of the Ops team at 37signals as senior SRE building reliable, performant, and no-cloud solutions for HEY, Basecamp, and ONCE. Also previously senior manager of the SRE and QA teams at Realtor.com and lead performance engineer, solutions architect, and managed a kick-ass front-end development team at Cox Media Group. I work 💯 remote and love it! I’ve led efforts in web performance optimization, reliability & operational health, CI & test automation, development processes, and observability & monitoring. Say hi to me on Bluesky or Mastodon! I’m currently available for hire.

Throughout my career in web development, I’ve focused on technical leadership, front end operations, architecture, process improvements, development tools & work flow, application performance, and user experience. While I’m not working, I love spending time with my family, adventuring outdoors, shooting photography and videography, broadcasting on Twitch, or playing table top and video games. I’ve also spent some of my spare time working on personal projects, including co-hosting monthly tech meet ups Build Guild Atlanta & Morgantown, and with other tech & web folks in Morgantown at tech304.io.

Additional long-term goals and projects:

• establish a non-profit community oriented technology cooperative hub and maker space to bring technology leaders in our region together in a communal space, provide technical education in software and hardware, collaboration on technical projects, and advocate for continuing eduction in technology for learners of all ages and experience levels
  • develop and organize regular multi-track conference(s) focused on technology, advocacy, and education in computer sciences, software development, design & usability, performance engineering, security, operations, and other sub-fields technology
• collaborate with K-12 schools and public learning institutions in STEAM education through space advocacy speaking, hands on learning of software and hardware, and installation of Raspberry Pi based ISSAbove devices in schools, libraries, and science oriented locations in our region
• establish a non-profit mural & public art organization focusing on public art and artist advocacy, fund raising, community collaboration, and mural projects (working title Rural Mural)
  • organize annual (yearly and/or quarterly) mural conference(s) to include community executed public art projects over the course of 1-2 weeks
  • develop roster/database of artists in greater regional West Virginia and establish regular invitational and call for submissions of murals
  • build website with geotagged, mapped, and photographed graffiti, murals, and other public art for posterity and preservation
  • develop and present plan to establish formal city arts board which advises the city, advocates for public art, and develops ordinances to protect public art
• develop a plan for community-based, organized and executed bicycle and foot traffic public events mirroring larger cities like Atlanta and Pittsburgh to include:
  • daytime, multi-part community rotating street festival that encourages foot traffic and bicycling with vendors and businesses on city streets and neighborhoods
  • evening time bicycle course with emphasis on community interaction, connection of neighborhoods, artistic expression and movement, and light-based decoration of bicycles
• writing a short-medium biographical e-book about my great aunt Bonnie G. Holmes, space race era secretary to Dr. Wernher von Braun