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David J. Kessler
20 Barberry Road, Lexington, MA 02421

781.863.1140


Employment Objective

A significant role with diverse responsibilities that utilizes my broad background inlcuding interpersonal and organizational skills and my deep technological expertise to deliver great products to your customers.

  • Sales Engineer: Produced and delivered numerous presentations and demonstration applications to prospective clients at all organizational levels, helping drive the sales cycle to a successful close.
  • Product, Project and Program Manager: Managed enterprise software products supporting an international client base in financial applications and in system product development. Responsible for the definition, design and development of software and system products and projects in a wide variety of applications and environments—including international development projects. Brought all the elements together and ensured quality deliveries for numerous projects and products.

Areas of Experience

Expert in a wide range of computer systems and applications including enterprise solutions, Web-based and system applications. Worked in Software Services, Financial Services and Healthcare.


Functions
  • Leadership in cross-functional and multinational environments
  • Customer presentations, training and sales engineering
  • Product, program and project management
  • Computer software architecture, design and development
  • Data and requirements analysis
  • IT and business planning
  • Event planning and organization
Tools & Technologies
  • Web design and implementation
  • Windows, Unix/Linux and others
  • Object-oriented design
  • SQL and other databases
  • Embedded systems and real-time, process control software
  • Built Pegasystems tools and helped with application development
  • Programming languages: C/C++, Javascript, PHP, HTML, Visual Basic, Assembler, some Java and others
  • Web and image processing tools: Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Lightroom, Acrobat and others
Applications & Industries
  • Rules-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
  • Enterprise solutions
  • User interface design and development
  • Online dot-com operations
  • Software Services, Financial Services and Healthcare
  • System-level design and development
Skills
  • Entrepreneur, organizer and leader
  • Speaker and presenter
  • Great colleague
  • Mentor and manager
  • Writer (published internationally)
  • Problem preventer and solver

Patents and Publications

  • Articles on business, management, computers and coaching published in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Japan, Hong Kong and France.
  • Patent #5,628,014: Methods and apparatus for node caching at the file level.

Professional Experience

Principal Consultant — CTech Consulting (www.ctechconsulting.biz)
2005 - present
Providing technical, engineering architectural and management services to organizations like NetClarity, OneCore, wallstreet HORIZON and TV2Mobile.
  • Created web site for TV2Mobile. There is a copy of the site showing my work at: http://davidkessler.biz/tv2mobile.
  • Software architect and project manager for client companies. At wallstreet HORIZON, rearchitected the system.
  • Created technical and marketing documentation for NetClarity and helped the engineering with some product and architectural issues.
  • Designed user interfaces for client/server and Web applications for client companies.
  • Performed data consolidations and presentation design.


Co-founder/Director — The Nonprofit Net (www.nonprofitnet.us)
2003 - 08
The Nonprofit Net regularly brings nonprofit leaders together to foster their professional development and cooperative projects among organizations. As a director, I am still involved in plotting the organization's direction.
  • Created the business plan, planned numerous events, located speakers and raised funds for the organization.
  • Designed and built the web site including designing the user interface and writing 11,000 lines of PHP, Javascript and SQL in approximately 5 months. There is a copy of the site showing my work at: http://davidkessler.biz/npn.
  • Performed the market research to determine community requirements and planned the goals and services of The Nonprofit Net accordingly.
  • Organized a Lexington Nonprofit Conference that brought together more than 50 people including leaders 35 nonprofits, foundations and donor organizations and politicians from both state and local levels.


Master Instructor — Advanced Interactive Systems (www.ais-sim.com)
2002
Was promoted to manage training deployments almost immediately after starting. The project ended when the US Congressionally-mandated end date was reached.
  • Worked at airports with the TSA to train baggage screeners after 9/11.
  • Developed individualized programs for two airports (Lexington, KY and Miami International, FL).


Consultant/Executive Coach — Essential Coaching (www.davidkessler.biz/ec)
1999 - 2002
  • Developed an executive coaching practice collaborating with leaders to increase sales, improve team effectiveness, plan new product and service offerings and resolve business issues.
  • Developed methods and presented seminars to aid companies with cultural and system change.
  • Produced training and mentoring programs for technical managers.
  • Wrote articles on business and management topics for trade journals in the US and abroad.


Pegasystems Inc. (www.pegasystems.com)
1996 - 1999
Desktop Solutions Manager (Sales Engineering Manager)
1/98 - 4/99
Development Manager
1/96 - 1/98
Pegasystems develops enterprise-wide, CRM solutions for the financial and health care industries. The platform is built on a client/server model. I was responsible for the client-side software.
Led a group of 15 and was responsible for the life cycle including engineering, QA, documentation and support for three Pegasystems desktop products. Functioned as a Sales Engineer, Project Manager, Product Manager, Software Architect, Engineering Manager and International Technical Support Manager.
  • Initiated development of a new generation of desktop software compatible with both the new and legacy server products.
    • Set development direction.
    • Led product design and architecture effort.
    • Split the product into an end-user and developer front end. This allowed us to maintain the stability of the end-user platform while simultaneously offering the latest, leading edge technology to developers much more quickly.
    • Led product design and architecture effort.
    • Was a major contributor to the planning for the product introduction and the product roll-out.
  • Managed the development of Pegasystems' Internet offering while simultaneously maintaining the legacy desktop product.
  • Functioned as a Sales Engineer doing technical presentations and demonstrations that were instrumental in securing a sale to Sears equal to 10% of Pegasystems' grossannual revenue.
  • Created an interdisciplinary group specializing in pre- and post sales engineering, application and user interface development for desktop products.
  • Provided pre- and post sales technical support, sales engineering services, customer presentations and engineering response in the US, Canada, Australia, Europe and Latin America.
  • Maintained close contact with customers and Pegasystems personnel in the field and acted as a liaison between the field and Pega's engineering groups.
  • Managed ACE software development group and improved product reliability by more than 2600%.
  • Reduced risk by developing Pegasystems' first semi-automated test suite.
  • Conducted training seminars in the US and abroad.


Founder/Principal Consultant — VieAbility, Inc.
1983 - 1996
Founded VieAbility, a commercial software developer and consulting company with clients including Lotus (1-2-3) and Intuit (Quicken). Role included management, product and project management and development.
  • Created CD Speedway, the first shrink-wrapped, CD-ROM cache program for the PC — listed among Egghead Software's top ten multimedia products.
  • Managed diverse aspects of multiple projects simultaneously.
  • Responsible for complete life cycle for VieAbility's three commercial products.
  • Established distribution channels resulting in sales of more than 100,000 shrink-wrapped units/year.
  • Managed VieAbility's operational, financial and legal functions.


Co-founder & Director, Software Applications — Easel Corp.
1981 - 1983
Co-founded this venture-funded maker of touch screen systems and application development tools. NASDAQ listed in 1990.
  • Responsible for product planning and software design emphasizing Easel's unique technologies.
  • Selected hardware and maintained liaison with marketing and vendors.
  • Functioned as a sales engineer for a number of our early sales.


Previous Employers
  • National CSS, Wilton, CT: product design and software development.
  • Israel Aircraft Industries, Lod, Israel; software development. (Developed Hebrew fluency.)
  • Intermetrics, Cambridge, MA: software engineer.
  • Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard, MA: software engineer.

Education

  • BA, Computer Science, University of Michigan
  • Fundamentals of Modern Marketing, American Management Assoc.
  • Executive Coaching Institute, works with leaders in organizational and personal transformation
  • MA, Music (not completed), University of Michigan

Community Service in Lexington, MA

  • Lexington Town Meeting Member: elected twice.
  • Appropriations Committee: studied the then $92,000,000 budget and recommended action to Town Meeting.
  • Interview committee for superintendent of schools.
  • Elementary school math curriculum selection committee.
  • Math & Science coordinator's Citizen's Advisory Committees.

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