Profile

Introduction

• I'm a software engineer, a mover, and a human who grew up in Northern California. I moved to Berkeley to study art at UC Berkeley, and have spent most of my post-college life living in the East Bay.
• I want to become a housing developer because I believe a lack of housing is a primary driver of challenges faced by Californians, and I believe that well-designed built environments are key to providing people with the basics of a good life: connection, activity, health and prosperity.
• This website exists to help me tell the story of why and how I'm charting a course from being a software engineer to being a housing developer.

Early Background

• I began learning to program in elementary school. My interest was supercharged when I discovered that I could publish websites and be connected to people all around the world.
• In high school, I applied these abilities to a web development company called Epoch Media. I made websites for local businesses, artists, and merchants. I was even featured on a nationwide news broadcast about teen business owners!
• Also during middle and high school, I made friends with people who lived in a housing development that I later came to understand was a form of cohousing. The shared resources made this community a defacto hub - including providing gradual autonomy as we grew from children into teenagers.
• In college, I pivoted to art for several years. Many people would consider this a detour, but I find that creating art and creating software actually have a lot in common. The interesting stuff happens in the zone between the practical, the aesthetic, and the exploratory!
• During college, I lived in the Berkeley Student Cooperatives. I came to appreciate the value of sharing resources and of intentionally structured housing.

Career in Software Engineering

• After college, I pivoted back to software engineering. The money was good, and student loans and housing are pricey.
• I began a freelance career that exposed me to small businesses, game development companies, VC-funded startups, and eventually publicly traded companies.
• While freelancing, I learned a lot about project and technology planning.
• As I moved into bigger companies, I took on team leadership and product management responsibilities.
• Ultimately at Flexport, I was responsible for "front-end infrastructure" which meant understanding the history of the codebase and the needs of hundreds of UX and product engineers, selecting appropriate technology stacks, and crucially: adapting, advocating, and supporting their use throughout the engineering organization.
• Highlights: Nextjs, GraphQL, authentication, architecture decisions
• Selected freelance projects: Freedom Robotics robot arm, Freedom Robotics webrtc
• Selected employee projects: AOI editor, Analysis graphics download manager, subresource integrity, support of an app with hundreds of developers

Emerging Interest in Urbanism and Housing Development

Having lived in cooperative or shared housing for most of my adult life, I've seen the benefits of alternatives to our atomized norms. I've also listened to stories of what people value in their housing, thought a lot about what phases of my own life have felt the most growthful, loved and flourishing. And I want to be involved in helping more of this be available to more people!

Turning Point

[Describe the moment or reasons that solidified your decision to transition into housing development.]

[Share any personal stories or experiences that influenced your decision.]

Transition to Housing Development

• I've been meeting people from different sides of real estate development - investors, architects, design-build companies, developers, city planners, startup people - and learning everything I can from them!
• The gaps for me are clear - I'm a software developer, and while I have executed a few small homeowner projects, I have a lot to learn when it comes to bringing together the parties involved in getting housing built from the ground up.
• At the current moment, it seems that homeowner-funded projects like ADUs are seeing the most activity. Access to capital is a very different thing than just a few short years ago, but many homeowners have solid equity and visions for how their property could better meet the needs of them and their community.

Current Focus

• Currently I'm trying to connect with design-build companies where I can help streamline, reduce manual work, or increase quality and accuracy. My goal is to be in a seat next to people directly involved in the housing development process - site prequalification/planning, design, plan preparation, planning approval, and construction.
• The ultimate goal for me is to be in a position where I can confidently take on the role of developer in a small-scale multifamily project.

Conclusion

• If you've read this far, I feel honored!
• I'm looking to learn, and I'm looking to share what I learn. So reach out!
• [Mailing list]