Meet the team behind Catalog

[jfenton]

Hey Amazing Catalog Users! 

Time for another blog post! In this episode we'll give you a peak behind the curtain and introduce you to some of the amazing team that works on Catalog. But before we get into that, I'd like to first say a big "thank you" to those that participated on the User Group call last week. And special mention to  @jsowalsk  for her work in getting it all set up and organized. For anyone who missed it, I highly recommend jumping on the next one (check it out here) - it's a great place to ask questions, hear best practices, and exchange ideas. 

Ok, on to the main event. Without further ado, here are the folks on Team Catalog:

 

First up is Pert. Pert is a Senior Program Manager who's been at Instructure since 2016. What is a Program Manager? Great question! As Pert describes it, "I'm like that guy in Charlies Angels. A mysterious voice helping guide the way." Or in other words, Program Managers keep the team on course. They make sure everyone has the information they need, they keep their eyes out for future problems and help solve them when they crop up. Besides being an all-star Program Manager, Pert is fascinated by natural history and loves to photograph flora and fauna. Fun fact, she was once bit by a beluga whale.

Next up we have Nick. Nick is a Software Engineer who works out of the Chicago office. He joined Instructure at the start of this year and previously interned here in 2016. He's a board game player who loves dogs, video games, and hitting the gym. Before he ventured into the world of software Nick was an electrical engineer. Nick is half of the dynamic duo responsible for doing the heavy lifting required to bring Catalog features to life.

Neil is a Senior Software Engineer who joined Instructure in 2015 after working at some early-stage startups. He's a self-proclaimed enchilada enthusiast who enjoys talking about technology, cognitive psychology, and UX design. He grew up in the Bay Area but lives in Chicago now, where he is an avid board gamer, food processor, hardware hobbyist, and advocate for long walks in the freezing temperatures. Along with Nick, he works day in and day out to turn ideas into reality. 

And then there's me! I'm the Product Manager for Catalog and I joined Instructure late last year. Before coming to Instructure I worked at a tech startup in the Higher Ed space and I have a German degree from the University of Utah. Like others on the team, I enjoy boardgames quite a bit and I love spending time with my wife and kiddos. My other hobbies include watching movies, reading technology blogs and building metal StarWars miniatures (yeah, it's as nerdy as it sounds). My role on the team is to making sure we know what we should build and why we should build it. 

So there you have it! Hopefully that helps you feel a tiny bit more connected to the Catalog team. And while these are all the introductions for today, I think it's important to mention that there are many other people impacting Catalog's progress. We've got QA Engineers, Designers, System Admins, Researchers, CSMs, and Support teams, just to name a few. You know that old saying, it takes a village to raise a child? That's certainly the case with Catalog, and I'm grateful for all the amazing people doing incredible work on the platform every day. 

Watch for my next blog post in March talking about the tech stack update that we're currently working on. We'll be tackling exciting topics like what NFRs are and why we're doing the tech stack work. Got questions about our backend work or other things you'd like me to discuss? Let me know in the comments!