After getting my Master’s in math from the University of Wisconsin, I started working as a scientific programmer, using FORTRAN in digital signal processing. It was gratifying to learn that my mathematical skills actually had some value in the real world. I enjoyed writing algorithms for cubic spline interpolation and various graphic applications. Asked to fix a failing image processing program, I realized that by treating points in the x-y plane as complex numbers, I could eliminate a spaghetti-code mess of goto statements. It was not rocket science – even undergraduates know that multiplying a vector by i (the square root of -1) is equivalent to a 90-degree counterclockwise rotation. But I was happy to be able to use this knowledge to simplify and improve the firm’s graphic applications.

After a short stint teaching, I taught myself “C”. I worked on projects in a variety of industries, including telecommunications, banking, and finance. I then learned the X Window System, which I integrated into the image processing component for a company specializing in electron microscopy. My knowledge of X, relational databases, and Unix then led to a project with Kraft General Foods, where I played a central role in architecting a major computer system (click here for details).

Following the successful completion of the system at Kraft, I joined the staff of Advent Software (now SS&C/Advent), where I was part of the original Geneva development team (more on that here). I consulted for several Geneva clients and managed the Geneva development team at Pine River Capital, as well as designing and developing components of various non-Geneva accounting systems. Most recently I designed a Geneva-based data warehousing/financial reporting system at Elliott Management.