About

Brian Mitchell is a Senior Software Engineer at soona. In Brian's spare time, he enjoys cycling, watching science-fiction, listening to music, and drinking coffee.

If you're looking for a more formal résumé, download the PDF.

Tools, Frameworks, and Languages

TypeScript, JavaScript, React, TanStack Query (React and Vue adapters), Testing Library, CSS-in-JS, Svelte, Vue, Jest, Puppeteer, D3, Vite, Vitest, Webpack, Eleventy, Jekyll, Ruby on Rails, NestJS, Next.js, Node.js, HTML, CSS, SCSS, git, LaTeX

Operating Systems

macOS, iOS, Linux (more familiar with Fedora and CentOS), Windows

Hobbies

• Co-organizer of the JavaScriptMN meetup (2019 – present)
• Board on Streets.mn (2022 – present)
• Bicycling
• Downhill skiing
• Electronic music shows
• Theatrical and live performance lighting (since I was in 4th grade!)
• Watching science-fiction TV shows and movies
• Learning/speaking Danish
• Traveling

Experience

• soona Senior Software Engineer (June 2022 – Present), Minneapolis, MN.
  • Worked on the Production team to implement new and enhance existing product features.
  • Upgraded the Vue application from Vue 2 to Vue 3.
  • Moved the bundler from Webpack to Vite, integrating with Ruby on Rails.
  • Created patterns and promoted using TanStack Query over global state solutions for server data in the Vue application.
  • Upgraded Rails frontend bundler to use Vite, reducing dependencies, improving developer experience, and modernizing tooling.
  • Rewrote a chat implementation with a third-party SDK to allow for better observability, resilience, and user experience.
  • Built a sidebar navigation and refactored site-wide layout touching nearly every page to allow for better scalability of the platform, more consistency, and a lighter weight implementation.
  • Introduced component tests utilizing Vitest and Testing Library to the codebase.
• Level2 Senior Frontend Engineer (April 2021 – May 2022), Minnetonka, MN.
  • Wrote a new chat interface utilizing Twilio chat, simplifying and separating display and data logic.
  • Led the development of the next generation internal coaching portal React application to improve performance, accessibility, user experience, visual consistency, and ease of additional development.
• C.H. Robinson (November 2016 – April 2021), Eden Prairie, MN.
  • Senior Software Engineer (March 2021 – April 2021), Customer Facing Analytics
    • Led the architecture and development of the React application for the premier customer facing analytics platform.
    • Worked with leaders on the customer solutions teams to create and document technical patterns.
  • Software Engineer III (August 2019 – March 2021), Customer Facing Analytics
    • Led the architecture and development of the React application for the premier customer facing analytics platform.
    • Lead technical maintainer of a hubot chatbot running in Slack.
    • Advocated for React Testing Library and modernizing frontend tooling.
  • Software Engineer II (January 2018 – July 2019), Customer Facing Analytics
    • Led the architecture and development of the React application for the premier customer facing analytics platform.
    • Implemented asynchronous event tracking for Adobe Analytics, creating a common library used by React applications.
    • Built a multi-source user authentication and impersonation flow.
    • Introduced, advocated, and provided patterns of using React hooks and React Testing Library across the company.
    • Built performant and animated charting and table components.
    • Mentored across the company with JavaScript/TypeScript and React.
    • Led development and publishing for the C.H. Robinson Engineering Blog.
  • Software Engineer I (November 2016 – December 2017), Enterprise Data Warehouse Customer
    • Built new widgets and lead major refactoring for a customer analytics tool to support additional segments of the company and powerful dynamic data filtering application-wide.
    • Designed new and rewrote screens in an animation-focused data visualization tool for lobby displays leveraging D3 and Bing Maps.
• Concordia Language Villages - Skovsøen, Counselor and Technology Support (Summer 2016), Bemidji, MN.
  Presented the camp to family and friends of campers through photos and daily blog posts. Managed the retail store and acted as a counselor for campers aged 7-18.
• CarlHacks 2016 (April 8 – 10, 2016), Carleton College, Northfield, MN.
  36 hour hackathon where I worked with a classmate to start an iOS application in Swift. For more info, see our devpost page.
• C.H. Robinson, Intern - IT (Summer 2015, internship), Eden Prairie, MN.
  Developed an interactive lobby display illustrating active customer shipments on an animated world map, implemented with web technologies for touch-driven hardware as part of working on the Client Technology Strategy and Enterprise Data Warehouse teams. Some technologies used were JavaScript, jQuery, Microsoft Maps, and d3.js.
• MICS 2015 Robotics and Programming Competitions (April 10 – 11, 2015), Grand Forks, ND.
  Teams placed 2nd of 14 in robotics (Arduino), and 26th of 52 for programming (Java).
• Computer Science Discipline, University of Minnesota, Morris., System Administrator (Fall 2014 – Spring 2015), Morris, MN.
  Managed, maintained, updated, and supported the computer science labs in relation to software, hardware, and users.
• Info Link, Inc., IT Specialist (Summer 2014, internship), Morris, MN.
  Assisted with managing Info-Link's network and services. This included but was not limited to:
  • Providing support and consulting for users
  • Computer service and repair
  • Installing wireless Internet in homes and businesses
  • Providing custom network installations
  • Managing internal tools, servers, radios, and other hardware
  • Climbing telecom towers, water towers, and grain elevators to install or service Info-Link's hardware
• MICS 2014 Robotics and Programming Competitions (April 25-26, 2014), Verona, WI.
  Teams placed 4th of 11 in robotics (Java), and 18th of ~50 for programming (Java).
• University of Minnesota, Morris, Student Center Tech Crew (Fall 2012 – Spring 2016), Morris, MN.
  Lighting Lead for the 2014 – 2015 school year and Spring 2016 semester.
  Designed, set-up, and operated sound and lighting for small to large scale events. This included rigging, power distribution, electrical work, DMX network management, operating heavy equipment, cable management, and working with clients.
• Concordia Language Villages, Assistant Cook (Summer 2012, Summer 2013), Bemidji, MN.

Education

• B.A. Computer Science, University of Minnesota, Morris. May 2016.

  Related Courses

  • Network Administration Practicum with an Emphasis on Directory Services Directed Study (CSCI 4993)
  • Robotics (CSCI 4454)
  • Models of Computing Systems (CSCI 3401)
  • Human-Computer Interface Design (CSCI 4656)
  • Robotics Directed Study (x2) (CSCI 3993)
  • Software Design Directed Study (using MEAN Stack) (CSCI 4993)
  • Algorithms and Computability (CSCI 3501)
  • Software Design and Development (CSCI 3601)
  • Ethical and Social Implications of Technology (IS 1091)
  • Data Structures (CSCI 2101)
  • Foundations of Computer Science (CSCI 1302)
  • Digital Media Computation (CSCI 1201)

• DIS - Danish Institute for Study Abroad. Copenhagen, Denmark. Fall 2015.

  Related Courses

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Sustainability in Northern Europe
  • Danish Language I–II

Theatre Experience

• Lighting Designer - Young Artists Initiative's Frozen Jr., January 2020, The Wellstone Center, Saint Paul, MN Photos
• Lighting Designer - Young Artists Initiative's Annie, March 2018, The Wellstone Center, Saint Paul, MN Photos
• Electrician - Green T Productions' Frankenstein: A Modern Prometheus, November 2017, The Historic Mounds Theatre, Saint Paul, MN
• Lighting Designer - Dance Ensemble, Spring 2016, University of Minnesota, Morris Photos
• Lighting Designer - Dance Ensemble, Spring 2015, University of Minnesota, Morris Photos
• Master Electrician - Many Moons, Spring 2015, University of Minnesota, Morris
• Master Electrician/Programmer - Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teen-Age Blockhead, Winter 2015, University of Minnesota, Morris
• Lighting Designer - Dance Ensemble, Fall 2014, University of Minnesota, Morris Photos
• Electrician - Twelfth Night, Fall 2013, University of Minnesota, Morris
• Assistant Stage Manager - An Evening of One Acts, Spring 2013, University of Minnesota, Morris
• Assistant Lighting Designer/Board Operator - God of Carnage, Winter 2013, University of Minnesota, Morris
• Sound Board Operator - The Laramie Project: Ten Years Later, Fall 2012, University of Minnesota, Morris
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - The Importance of Being Earnest, Spring 2012, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - Bye Bye Birdie, Fall 2011, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - The Government Inspector, Spring 2011, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - Damn Yankees, Fall 2010, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - Go Back For Murder, Spring 2010, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - Once Upon a Mattress, Fall 2009, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - Noises Off, Spring 2009, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Co-Lighting Designer/Co-Board Operator - Grease, Fall 2008, Central High School, Saint Paul, MN
• Sound and Light Board Operator - Singing in the Rain, Spring 2008, Capitol Hill Magnet, Saint Paul, MN
• Sound Engineer - Story of The River, Spring 2005, Linwood A+ Elementary, Saint Paul, MN