Meet Kenzie Academy subject matter experts and facilitators. We hold high standards for our tech education, so we’ve made it our mission to get the best in the business to design and teach our curriculum while knowledgeably mentoring our learners.
Software Engineering
Kenzie Academy Subject Matter Experts
BA in Computer Science from Taylor University, specializing in computer graphics programming
Randy started his software engineering career in 1998 as a C++ developer. He switched to JavaScript in 2004, and has focused exclusively on frontend web development ever since. His favorite aspect of his career was training and mentoring junior developers, so now he is enjoying his dream job of teaching beginners how to code.
Outside of the virtual classroom, Randy’s current passion is amateur radio, operating under the callsign AD9TC. He lives with his family in a drafty old farmhouse in the only city called Noblesville in the entire world!
As a founding subject matter expert of Kenzie Academy, former instructor for The Iron Yard, and long-time IT professional and educator in the U.S. and abroad, “DMG” (as we know him) has long held a passion for helping people earn new technical and metacognitive skills.
He has taught 300+ learners in code personally, as well as scores of coaches and instructors. He wants you to know code is a human language for explaining your ideas to a computer. If you can carefully arrange sentences, you can code.
After earning a B.S. in psychology and minoring in criminal justice, Michelle joined Kenzie’s former software engineering (now MERN) program and became a facilitator after graduation in 2019. Outside of coding, Michelle loves writing, photography, music, and video games. Ask about her dogs!
Before coming to Kenzie Academy, Jon has had many different jobs including biophysics researcher, construction manager, chiropractor, and business analyst. After working as a business analyst on a team with software developers, Jon wanted to learn more about the programming side of software development. Jon joined Kenzie Academy in October 2018 as a learner in the fourth cohort of the Software Engineering program. He became a Facilitator in July of 2019 and has worked with many cohorts of learners since. One common component of all of his previous jobs was explaining complicated subjects to people in terms they could understand, which helps Jon as a facilitator helping learners to understand the basics of web development.
UX Design
Kenzie Academy Subject Matter Experts
Tyler is a professional Software Engineer with ten years of industry experience. He focuses on User Interface development but is an experienced full-stack engineer. Tyler has hired and led teams to build enterprise-grade software which is used in thousands of applications worldwide. His skills lie in application architecture, user experience, data visualization, and performance. Tyler previously served as Staff Software Engineer and Engineering Manager at AppDynamics.
Samantha Kyle is a designer, illustrator, and cartoonist from Indianapolis. Her professional history is varied, ranging from page layout and production design to jewelry smithing and comics. If you wish to delight her, let her pet your dog!
Dean is a UX Engineer and Indianapolis native. Prior to joining the Kenzie Family, he worked for Angie’s List and Home Advisor. Interests outside of work include his dog Wilbur, running, and tinkering with his vintage motorcycles. Dean earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communication Studies from IUPUI.
Over the last 10 years, Ryan Robinson has excelled as both a freelance and staff UI/UX designer. Ryan’s affable personality, sharply creative mind, and diligent approach to his work has earned him the trust of landmark clients such as Ralph Lauren, Bioness, and L’Oreal. In addition to his role as a facilitator and mentor for Kenzie, Ryan has continued his freelance UI/UX design work for large software systems for multiple client projects. Ryan lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, and has a background in advertising and video production. He is a former touring musician and a current nerd. He enjoys playing board games, writing and playing music, and bottles his own hot sauce. He hopes to one day manage a design firm and to also own a pet Ewok.
Full-Stack Web Development
Kenzie Academy Subject Matter Experts
Daniel has had a passion for coding from a very young age. He began his engineering career at the age of 16 and has never looked back. As a self-taught learner with experience in the education industry, he aims to use his insights into the learning process to help others. When not in front of a screen, he is an avid tennis player and musician. He also enjoys skateboarding, reading, and foreign languages.
Words of Wisdom
Our Subject Matter Experts & Facilitators are here to guide you.