Since Ken founded RoleModel Software, he has played a lot of roles as Director, Consultant, Chief Architect/Developer, Mentor, and Developer. Most of this work involved Java. Ken has worked and object-oriented languages, often as a front end for relational databases, before either one was popular in software development, and has added remarkable improvement to development practices whenever he encounters a software development team. A few projects he played extended development roles in are listed below:

JRT Development (Jan '03-, Java/J2SE, SWT, Eclipse, XML, Wintel platforms)
Development of The A.C.E. Misfire Tracking System which is a diagnostic tool to help diagnose specific problems in automotive engines far more accurately than current state of the art onboard computer systems. Worked with Master Technicians to develop this patent pending approach and proprietary algorithm for diagnosis. Other development efforts include developing custom noise reduction, charting, and animation interfaces in addition to designing and implementing a variety of user-tested interfaces. Also interfaced with a labscope and security dongles.
Product is currently being beta-tested.
Various web-based applications (Jan '01-, Java/J2EE, JSP, Velocity, Servlets, Red Hat Portal Application Framework, WML, XML, Linux, others)
Worked with other RoleModel teams on a variety of web-based applications as a design consultant as well as developer.
Organon Teknika Corporation (now BioMerieux) (various points '99-'01, Java/J2SE, Swing, Versant & Poet OODBMS, various interfaces to other systems)
Chief Architect, Mentor, Developer, and XP Coach of a new generation system of laboratory data management. Users interface with a Windows desktop application to configure and enter specimen data. Data is persisted in a Poet OODBMS. The entire platform can run on a workstation connected to the specimen repository. Construction of the user interface was extremely complex, because it had to be completely dynamic. New data elements can be added at any time and must be queryable immediately. This flexibility was essential to allow OTC to offer a single product that could meet an almost infinite number of possible customer configurations.
Bonita Software (various points '98-'01, Java/J2SE, Java/J2ME, AWT, Servlets, various Small Java technologies)
Architect and Consultant on portable framework for personal applications for a variety of small devices. Developed a variety of framework and applications on top of the framework for many leading edge Java technologies. Also developed web-based interface of a demonstration user configuration application.

Drawlets (various points '97, Java/J2SE, AWT, Swing)
Development of a framework for building graphical applications (or portions of applications that are inherently graphical). It is especially appropriate for diagramming but has been used for a variety of other applications. This has been used in a variety of commercial products and is very popular as an educational tool in teaching object-oriented designs and frameworks at a variety of universities throughout the world.

This strategic position was created to help bolster the technical vision of the company while equipping the technical staff with tools and information, provide a presence in the industry (i.e. participate actively in conferences, etc.), and get "hands-on" with some of our strategic clients. Most of the client work assignments were very short-term with three significant exceptions (see below). I evaluated and used a variety of object-based technologies, mostly related to Smalltalk and Java, with some exposure to others (E.g. GIS, EDI, OOA&D tools).

In the latter stages, a major thrust of my position was the development of a company strategy to exploit its knowledge of object-oriented software to help clients produce software that can be delivered on desktop and client/server platforms and intranets from the same basic frameworks. During this time, I used many Internet technologies including HTML, Java, and Smalltalk-based web application development products. Some of the more tactical accomplishments during this time include the planning and supervision of the installation and maintenance of a company-wide Intranet, and pursuing a more advanced Internet connection. Other tactical deliveries (related to Java) included a plan to develop a suite of Java and Web training courses, and the development of a Graphical Framework for Direct Manipulation of objects written in Java.

Although the position was officially strategic in nature, a large portion of time was spent on significant assignments with three of KSC's clients:

Bell Atlantic (Sept-Oct '96, VisualWorks, ENVY, GemStone, Windows NT, HPUX)
I served as technical mentor and project advisor for the imminent release of a large billing system (the mentor KSC had there had to take a leave of absence due to Hurricane Fran). Key accomplishments were troubleshooting the first release to customers, and developing a custom interface and code generation framework, enabling developers to create new domain objects with fully functioning, complex editors in as little as 15 minutes.
Texas Instruments (Jan-Aug '96, VisualWorks, ENVY, GemStone, Windows NT, Solaris)
I served as the chief architect and technical lead for the development of a new user interface framework for a semiconductor manufacturing process specification system. During this time I mentored several less experienced object-oriented software developers and developed several powerful frameworks that greatly reduced the complexity and increased the performance of the user interface over the previous generation system.
Large IT client (Feb '94-Feb '95, VisualWorks/Smalltalk, ENVY, Oracle, Mac, HPUX)
I was assigned to reduce chaos surrounding a large, mission critical global sales order management project (100+ member development team) that was in trouble. The project had imminent delivery dates dictated, without stable requirements, no discernible technical architecture, segregated application teams, and no project level development plan, but plenty of politics. I was instrumental in bringing the individual teams together and facilitated the formation of a technical foundation upon which individual applications sat. This was analogous to inserting a foundation for a house while construction was already in progress. Additionally, I was instrumental in bringing about a reorganization to form a core team in charge of system level technical issues where none existed before and was asked to lead this team. Significant progress was made from a technical perspective. However, the requirements could not be agreed to due to internal politics, and the project was canceled while the organization regrouped. The only things the company salvaged were the frameworks built by my team, which have since been used on many successful projects throughout the company across North America.

I rebuilt the business unit (which fundamentally provided consulting services) that had dwindled from being the largest revenue producing unit to being the smallest. When I started the position, there were five employees in the unit and it was losing money with a monthly revenue of $15,000. When I left the position (in a lateral, requested move) the department was very profitable with 20+ full-time and contract employees and monthly revenues exceeding $400,000. Note that I do not believe this financial success was purely my doing. It was a very challenging time in the life of KSC, and there were many things that I did not enjoy about it. However, it does demonstrate that I understand and can function well in purely business roles.

Intermittently during this period, I mentored teams on the following projects which were new to object technology:

Semiconductor Photo-Lithography Simulation. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, UNIX, Windows)
Adding client/server capabilities to configure user-related messages to existing Network Configuration software system. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, UNIX, Windows)
Complex Data Analysis Charting of Laboratory Measurements. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, UNIX, Windows)
Back-office Transaction Processing for Securities Trading. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, UNIX, Windows)

As part of a short-term mission project, I reviewed the design and optimized portions of an object-oriented development environment to assist bible translators.
(Smalltalk/V, Windows, Macintosh)

I led an effort to develop a new Lithography System Supervisor for Silicon Valley Group's (SVG) Lithography division. My duties included training 3 developers from SVG while coordinating early development efforts of a team which included these 3 developers, 3 developers from KSC, and a developer from Texas Instruments (who was supplying some foundational control software). My responsibilities also included coordination with project managers from Sematech, and 2 divisions of SVG (Lithography and Track) for future vision of a larger supervisor system. The contract completed successfully and on-time with excellent progress reviews. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, Windows, UNIX)

I led an effort to turn informal requirements for IBM's Network Router, which was still under development, into a working architecture for generic configuration. Worked with 2 other developers and project manager to define a system that would quickly adapt to changing configuration requirements. Most of this work was done in the first two months of the project. I came back on several occasions as a consultant and trouble shooter. When the Network Router shipped in early '92, the "configuration" was named as the bright spot in several product reviews. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, Windows, UNIX)

I helped transition Morgan-Stanley to object technology and Smalltalk. My duties included training many IT employees in the fundamentals of Object-Oriented Analysis and Design, supervising initial design phase of an enterprise object model, training and leading initial team of developers to prototype system based on initial enterprise object model, technology assessment, application and class library review, and training executives to understand the impact of the technology. After the first several months of helping to develop a strategic foundation for this effort, I was asked to return on an intermittent basis to deal with tactical issues. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, Windows, UNIX, IPC, Distributed Systems)

I developed a tool which supported Hewlett-Packard's proprietary process modeling methodology. Throughout the development of the tool, I worked with the methodology's creator to turn a theoretical, paper methodology into an automated modeling tool used by HP's manufacturing consultants to produce fairly complex models of their client's manufacturing processes. This tool has been successfully used by HP manufacturing consultants for several years (and is still in use) despite an aggressive roll-out schedule and shoestring development and support budget. (ObjectWorks/Smalltalk, Windows, Macintosh, UNIX, HP Printer drivers)

1988-1997 Object Technology Consultant for various organizations for limited time (typically < 2 weeks) including:

Air Force Human Resources Lab (Prototyping Environment for Airplane Maintenance)
American Airlines (Food Distribution, Decision Support)
American Management Systems (Facilities Management, ObjectCORE framework)
Baylor College of Medicine (Bio-genetic engineering Environment)
BellSouth (Technology Consulting)
Boeing Computer Services (Process Modelling)
BroadBand Technologies (Technology Consulting)
Chrysler (Software Configuration Management, Payroll)
Glaxo (Laboratory Management, Software Configuration Managment)
Hewlett-Packard (Object-Oriented Systems Analysis Tool, Testing Tools)
Kronos (Strategic Project Audit/Consulting, Time & Attendance)
Martin Marietta (Information Manipulation)
Principle Financial Group (Financial Regulation Compliance)
Prudential Insurance (Group Insurance Analysis)
Southern California Edison (Natural Gas Purchasing/Tracking System, Billing)

1988 - 1992 Various roles lasting at least 1 month, briefly described below:

Chief Architect and Developer for reusable component packages PluggableViews (including elaborate Business Chart package) and OptimalCollections
Chief Architect and Developer of functional prototype: HISE (Hierarchical Intelligent Simulation Environment) for Hewlett-Packard
Development of several reusable class libraries for Security, Help Systems, and others
Chief architect of functional prototype for PROFIT (a factory layout investment tool) for Hewlett-Packard
Proof-of-concept prototype of Pascal Code Browser for Hewlett-Packard
Proof-of-concept prototype of Printed Circuit Board Editor for Hewlett-Packard

I was the chief architect of Workstation portion of Network Management System which was a client/server based system employing the following technologies:

Smalltalk, Objective-C, Informix SQL, C, UNIX, proprietary communication protocols.

My earlier project involvement included:

porting an existing network management system from proprietary UNIX to UNIX/System V
adding of Multiplexer Controller Application to existing Network Management System
conducting technology assessment of line monitor/analyzer
creating functional prototype of touch-screen workstation (UNIX, DOS, C)

I supervised the lab, assisted students, managed tape backups (Unix, C, DEC, Sun)

I analyzed accuracy of new blood analysis product under development (various Statistics Packages)

I programmed various reports in IS function (Assembler, PL/1, JCL, MVS)

B.S. in Computer Science (minor in Management) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1984.

Several credits toward M.S. Computer Science, University of South Florida, 1985-87.