Hi, I'm Josh.
This is the long version.

I got out of the Navy about 20 years ago and taught myself ActionScript. My first real job was as a PHP engineer at Hustler, but it got me writing production code fast. From there I moved through PHP, Node, and React at NBC, then spent a year as an Elixir engineer at Weedmaps before moving into management.

I spent five years at Weedmaps, leaving as Director of Engineering around the time it went public. Then joined Jackpocket as VP of Engineering, where I implemented agile/scrum and a proper DevSecOps culture, taking the team from releasing once or twice a month to shipping every commit. Two years ago DraftKings acquired Jackpocket, and now I'm a Senior Director of Engineering on the lottery fulfillment team, focused on getting the team to embed AI into the SDLC.

I write about engineering leadership, building teams, software architecture, and new technology based on things I've learned along the way.

I shoot landscape and travel photography, mostly in California and Ireland. I studied photography and fashion/advertising photography in Santa Barbara and Miami, and I still spend a lot of time learning new lighting techniques, experimenting with filters, and improving my work in Lightroom.