# Derek L.

> Drumming x Software EdTech Innovator

Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Profile: https://flows.cv/derekl

I want my passion for high-quality software engineering to inspire others. I want to help create a fun and engaging work environment that everyone on the team enjoys. I want to understand what makes teams effective and experiment with evolving the team's efficiency over time. I want to build high-trust relationships within the group to allow us to do our best work with the least friction. I want to develop products that genuinely serve a purpose and that people want to use. Finally, I want to make a positive impact on the world. 

When it comes to product development, there are many aspects that I am passionate about, of which these are just a few:

* High-Quality Software Engineering - Hunting for practical applications within the software where object-oriented design patterns, SOLID principles, code smells, and refactoring can be leveraged to improve the quality, extendability, maintainability, and understandability of the code. 

* Clean Code - Working with team members to determine the agreed-upon definition of clean code and building a shared desire to fight against code rot. 

* Building Valuable Test Suites - Constructing test suites that provide fast feedback, give confidence that the software meets the expected behavior, and are de-coupled from the implementation to allow for refactoring with minimal to no impact on the tests. 

* XP Values - Be mindful of how XP values and principles apply to building effective teams and highlight instances where members exhibit these behaviors. 

* Effective Teaching - Experiment with various approaches to teaching to match the audience's needs, whether it be a single person while pair programming or a large audience of workshop participants. 

* Continuous Learning - Investing in my continuing education and that of the team and organization by fostering an environment of continuous learning through knowledge-sharing events and workshops. 

* Facilitation - Facilitating workshops related to Lean XP practices, values, principles, and highly technical software engineering topics. 

* Communication - Understanding the intricacies of communication across language and culture through awareness, empathy, and mindfulness. 

Outside of software engineering, I have several hobbies that I also enjoy:
* Drumming 30+ years (bands, live, studio, various genres)
* Physical fitness: Strength training, hiking, SUP, ping-pong, rock climbing
* Mental fitness: Meditation, reading, listening to audiobooks/podcasts

## Work Experience
### Software Engineer; User Researcher; Visual Designer; Product Manager; Marketing Lead @ Kick Snare Hat Apps  LLC
Jan 2014 – Present | Arlington, Virginia, United States
Derek is a mobile multiplatform full-stack software engineer specializing in iOS and Kotlin Multiplatform. Derek's expertise extends to Android and web development, making him a versatile and sought-after engineer. 

Beyond his technical prowess, Derek is a lifelong drummer who has honed his skills since he was 11. Combining his passion for drumming and software engineering, he embarked on a mission to revolutionize music education. In 2014, he released his groundbreaking iOS application, "Groove Freedom," due to his partnership with renowned drummer and educator Mike Johnston. Groove Freedom's innovative approach enabled users to isolate each limb in a drumbeat, allowing drummers to learn beats and how to read drum music notation by isolating and practicing each part. Derek's commitment to advancing drumming education led to a notable collaboration with the acclaimed German drumming educator Benny Greb. Together, they developed the renowned app "Gap Click." This innovative tool enhances drummers' sense of timing and internal groove by incorporating intentional gaps in click tracks. 

Derek's dedication to advancing drumming education continued with his latest creation, "Beat Note." This cutting-edge app empowers drummers to write out drum notation, providing practice support features and enabling users to share their drum beats with others seamlessly within the app. "Beat Note" represents Derek's ongoing commitment to empowering drummers through innovative software solutions and fostering community among musicians.

As a respected expert in the field, Derek wants to craft exceptional user experiences and collaborate with talented educators to advance music education. His contributions to the drumming community through apps like "Gap Click" and "Beat Note" continue positively impacting drummers worldwide.

### Agile Software & Product Development Consultant @ Code Chrysalis
Jan 2024 – Present | Tokyo, Japan
Enabling internal teams and clients through agile, user-centered practices.
- Supporting the development of an internal agile consulting capability rooted in Lean/XP, user-centered design, and product discovery & framing.
- Designing and facilitating workshops to deepen Extreme Programming engineering practices including pair programming, test-driven development (TDD), and effective testing strategies.
- Coaching cross-functional teams on facilitation techniques and agile frameworks to improve collaboration, surface insights, and drive clarity in client engagements.
- Helping teams identify key problem spaces and opportunities through structured prioritization, discovery, and framing exercises.

### Senior Staff Engineer Labs @ VMware Tanzu Labs
Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 | Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
In VMware Tanzu Labs (previously "Pivotal Labs"), Derek's primary focus as a consultant has been on the software engineering aspects of building applications together with clients while enabling (teaching) them on the practices, values, and principles of the Lean XP (eXtreme Programming) methodology. 

As a consultant, Derek has led teams of 2-6 engineers to build customer-facing and enterprise internal full-stack mobile and web applications.
* Projects: new applications, legacy applications, microservices
* Industries: Airline, Automotive, Banking, Contact Tracing, e-Commerce, Insurance, Public Transit, Telecom, Utilities, and Virtual Assistants
* Tech Stacks: iOS (Swift/Obj-C), Android (Java/Kotlin), Web (JavaScript, TypeScript, React, vue.js), Spring (Java/Kotlin)
* XP Practices: Pair Programming, Test-Driven Development, CI/CD

Additional highlights include:
* Close collaboration with Product Managers and Designers in "balanced teams" to ensure we're building the right product
* Mentoring both clients and colleagues within and cross-discipline
* Facilitation of technical workshops, including a full 3-day workshop on XP with groups as large as two dozen participants
* Contributing to the office culture through event organization, presentations, and workshop facilitation
* Leveraged for assignments outside of Tokyo: Sydney Australia (on-site), Denver USA (on-site), London UK (remote)
* Organizer for internal office events, tech talks, cross-project workshops, and APJ intra-office workshops and event

### Staff Engineer Labs @ VMware Tanzu Labs
Jan 2020 – Jan 2022 | Tokyo, Japan

### Staff Software Engineer @ Pivotal Labs
Jan 2015 – Jan 2020 | Tokyo, Japan
Pivotal Software was acquired by VMware in April, 2020. Please see VMware Tanzu Labs role for details on experience.

### Senior Consultant @ CGI
Jan 2004 – Jan 2015 | Fairfax, VA
Development Team Lead, Technical Architect, Workflow & Business Process Management Subject Matter Expert, Consultant, and Software Engineer

Relecant Experience:
• Healthcare Solutions Group - ETL Technical Lead and Team Lead for migration from "Classic" healthcare digital content management / workflow application to "Modern" application, Oct 2009 - Dec 2015
• Healthcare Solutions Group - Sovera 10 Technical Architect; Design/Development Team Lead; BPM/Workflow SME, May 2008 - Sept 2009
• Banking & Investments Group - Enterprise Collections Workflow Architect & Workflow Team Lead, Jan 2007 - May 2008
• Banking & Investments Group - Enterprise Originations Workflow/BPM Design & Development Team Lead, May 2003 - May 2008
• Life Insurance Client - IBM FileNet Digital Imaging & Workflow Implementation (Madison, WI), Mar 2001 - May 2003
• Auto Insurance Client - IBM FileNet Digital Imaging & Workflow Implementation (Atlanta, GA), Sept 1999 - Mar 2001

### Senior iOS Application Engineer @ Holiday株式会社 (Cookpad)
Jan 2015 – Jan 2015 | Ebisu, Tokyo, Japan
Building new features, adding enhancements, performance improvements, memory management, and defect resolution for the Japan domestic trip-planning and sightseeing iOS app "Holiday".

### Systems Analyst & ECM Subject Matter Expert @ AXA Life Japan
Jan 2013 – Jan 2014
Responsibilities include:
•	Overseeing all vendor contributions to the new business underwriting application (workflow), built on top of IBM FileNet P8. 
•	Understanding business requirements; helping to guide the digital transformation of the existing claims process. 
•	Collaborating with other AXA ECM experts globally to help steer the direction of ECM and workflow in a consistent manner. 
•	Liaison between AXA Life Japan and AXA Tech Japan for successful project execution. 
•	Majority of written and verbal communication in Japanese with all colleagues, vendors, and business users.

### Software Consultant @ American Management Systems
Jan 1999 – Jan 2004 | Fairfax, VA


## Education
### Bachelor's in Computer Science
Purdue University

### Certificate of Completion in Japanese Language
Yamasa Aichi Center for Japanese Studies


## Contact & Social
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/theextremeprogrammer

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Source: https://flows.cv/derekl
JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/derekl/resume.json
Last updated: 2026-03-31