~/curtiskelsey

Curtis Kelsey

Software Engineering Manager

curtis@local
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about
CK

Software Engineering Manager with 20+ years building systems across government, higher education, and SaaS. USAF veteran. MS in Computer Science.

I build software that scales and teams that ship with confidence.

get in touch
certifications

AWS Certified Developer - Associate

Amazon Web Services · March 2024

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist - Windows 7, Configuration

Microsoft · March 2012

CompTIA Security+

CompTIA · December 2010

skills

Languages

PHP Typescript SQL Bash C++

Frameworks

Node.js Angular React Ionic

Cloud & DevOps

AWS Docker GitHub

Databases

PostgreSQL MySQL Redis DynamoDb

Leadership

Engineering Management System Design Mentor Coach Code Review
experience

Software Engineering Manager

Axiscare LLC · Remote

July 2025 – Current

Senior Backend Developer

Axiscare LLC · Remote

April 2020 – July 2025

Improved chat functionality

Marketing Site

Senior Back-End Software Developer

Lodgable LLC · Remote, Contract

April 2020 – October 2021

Chief Product Officer

Lodgable LLC · Remote

January 2019 – April 2020

Scaled work queue from pre-release to millions of jobs a day

Orchestrated and contributed to an overall build time reduction of over 85% (15 mins → 2 mins)

Brought on additional integrations (HomeAway, VRM, Escapia, RNS)

Senior Back-End Software Developer

Lodgable LLC · Remote

November 2016 – April 2020

Established the build process for multiple projects

Developed and launched 6 third-party integrations

Senior Web Developer

Truman State University

September 2013 – November 2016

Programmer/Analyst

University of Missouri

October 2012 – September 2013

Created a student staff database to manage the employment lifecycle of students for Reslife

Remodeled the iServiceDesk work order system for ease of use & browser compatibility

Developed a video request web application to streamline the management of security video requests

Produced a web application to manage combination changes for locksmiths and student staff

User Support Analyst

University of Missouri

March 2010 – October 2012

Created a SFTP-based software package update system for remote computers (VB, VBScript, XML)

Built an in-house IT toolkit to support desktop administrative tasks (VB, WMI)

Launched a web help desk ticketing system for incident tracking and reporting

Secured over 150 resource and administrative accounts within KeePass with 2-factor authentication

Managed over 300 user systems across the department

Computer Technician

Fusion Technology

August 2009 – March 2010

Scripted common technician processes such as file transfers and backups

Provided on-site service for local government offices, private businesses and customers within a 60 mile radius

Migrated a private school's business critical applications from legacy operating systems to Windows Vista OS

Installed and customized network infrastructure in government offices

Computer Technician

Pro Tech Company, Inc.

December 2007 – August 2009

Secured medical laboratory data using TrueCrypt according to HIPAA regulations

Tracked and disabled an infected workstation within a secondary education network using WireShark

Customized Sonicwall network equipment within a school's network for traffic filtering

Provided system administration support for Linux servers used as network gateways, web content filters, and email servers

Electronic Intelligence Operations Specialist

United States Air Force

October 2004 – October 2007

Redesigned image gallery web pages for training materials

Served as database administrator of a Generic Area Limitation Environment (GALE-Lite) database used in aircraft flight plans

Established auditing systems and backup processes for GALE-Lite workstations and servers

Secured SPARC-based, Solaris 10 workstations and servers for certification on a classified military network

Spent 2 years as team leader overseeing 5 analysts

Trained 10 analysts over a 3 month period on new software processes resulting in a 50% boost in productivity

education

Master of Science in Computer Science

University of Missouri

Columbia, MO · December 2012

Bachelor of Science in Computer Science

Park University

Parkville, MO · May 2009

Associate in Applied Science in Communications Applications Technology

Community College of the Air Force

Montgomery, AL · February 2007

reading
The Manager's Path

The Manager's Path

Camille Fournier

A guide for tech leaders navigating the transition from engineer to manager and beyond, covering mentoring, tech lead, and executive roles.

Staff Engineer

Staff Engineer

Will Larson

Explores the Staff-plus engineer role — what it looks like, how to get there, and how to operate effectively at the senior IC level.

Impact Engineering

Impact Engineering

Junade Ali

Practical approaches to measuring and maximizing engineering impact through systems thinking and data-driven decision making.

Modern Software Engineering

Modern Software Engineering

David Farley

Applies scientific reasoning and engineering discipline to software development, covering CI/CD, TDD, and incremental delivery.

A Philosophy of Software Design

A Philosophy of Software Design

John Ousterhout

Tackles complexity as the root problem in software, with practical techniques for writing simpler, deeper modules.

Refactoring

Refactoring

Martin Fowler

The definitive catalog of refactoring techniques for improving the design of existing code without changing its behavior.

The Pragmatic Programmer

The Pragmatic Programmer

David Thomas & Andrew Hunt

Timeless advice on craftsmanship, from DRY and orthogonality to tracer bullets and pragmatic automation.

Radical Candor

Radical Candor

Kim Scott

A framework for giving feedback that's both caring and direct — essential reading for anyone leading people.

Advanced Web Application Architecture

Advanced Web Application Architecture

Matthias Noback

Patterns for structuring web applications with clear boundaries, hexagonal architecture, and CQRS.

Peopleware

Peopleware

Tom DeMarco & Timothy Lister

Argues that most software project failures are people problems, not technical ones. A classic on team dynamics and environment.

Domain-Driven Design

Domain-Driven Design

Eric Evans

Introduces bounded contexts, ubiquitous language, and strategic design for tackling complex business domains in software.

99 Bottles of OOP

99 Bottles of OOP

Sandi Metz, Katrina Owen & TJ Stankus

Teaches object-oriented design through a deceptively simple exercise, building intuition for when and how to refactor.

Code Complete

Code Complete

Steve McConnell

A comprehensive reference on software construction covering variables, control structures, code quality, and defensive programming.

Cracking the Coding Interview

Cracking the Coding Interview

Gayle Laakmann McDowell

The standard prep guide for technical interviews, with 189 problems covering data structures, algorithms, and system design.