About
Hi, I'm Justin.
Engineer, leader, husband, dad, and lifelong tinkerer. Here's the story so far.
Chapter 01Abilene, Texas · 1982
Born under a big West Texas sky.
I started out in Abilene, Texas: wide horizons, hot summers, and a kid who loved math, science, and every sport under the sun. Then, in 1993, a Gateway 2000 showed up at our house.
Chapter 02Tulsa, Oklahoma · 1994
Then Tulsa, and a beige box that changed everything.
In 1994 we moved to Tulsa for middle school, and the Gateway came with us. That's where I fell hard for it, spending hours exploring, building, and breaking things.
Chapter 03Back in Abilene · 1997
Back home, and writing my first code.
In 1997 we moved back to Abilene for high school, and that's where I started learning to code, building simple apps in Visual Basic. Some talked to AOL chat rooms, plenty weren't very useful, and one was full of little surprises for my girlfriend. (Remember her. She comes back later.)
Chapter 04Chicago, Illinois · 2000
Off to Chicago for computer science.
I headed north to the Illinois Institute of Technology on a Camras scholarship and dove into CS, learning the theory behind all those late-night hacks, with the skyline for a desk lamp.
Chapter 05University of Illinois · 2002
Code, meet philosophy.
I transferred to the University of Illinois and studied computer science and philosophy side by side. Logic, ethics, and a stubborn habit of asking "but why?" turned out to be great training for building software, and for leading the people who build it.
Chapter 06Jefferson City, Missouri
Intermission.
I hit pause on school and spent a while managing a movie theater in Jefferson City, Missouri. Schedules, staff, sticky floors, and sold-out opening nights: it was my first real lesson in leading a team and keeping the show running.
Chapter 07Columbia, Missouri · 2008
Back to finish what I started.
I went back to school at the University of Missouri and walked out with dual degrees in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering, from software all the way down to the electrons.
Chapter 08The working years
Then I got to work.
Since then I've built software, and the teams that build it, at big public companies and scrappy startups alike. Different scales, same job: ship things people actually need, and help great engineers do the best work of their careers.
Chapter 09Home
And a full house.
Along the way I married my wonderful wife (yes, the same girl I built that goofy Visual Basic app for), and we filled our home with kids, noise, and more love than I knew what to do with. It's the best thing I've ever been a part of.
Chapter 10Today
Sr. Director of Software Engineering at Aha!
These days I lead software engineering at Aha! and spend as much time as I can building with AI. Honestly, it's the most fun I've had with a computer since that Gateway 2000.
And when I log off?
I'm home with my favorite people.
My wife, our kids, and whatever chaos the evening brings. Family first, always. That's the story so far.
The end (for now)
Thanks for scrolling.
If you'd like to keep going, here's where I write things down and what I've been building lately.