Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Additional Information
Timeline
Generic

Sara Palmer

Broomfield,CO

Summary

Experienced Project Manager, Software Developer, and Data Scientist with understanding of production scale deep learning systems, research and development, prototyping, and agile software development. Able to solve challenging technical problems as well as procure funding, write proposals, prepare and present briefings, and lead teams of engineers. Skilled in breaking down highly technical concepts into understandable material for all audiences.

Overview

25
25
years of professional experience

Work History

Task Order Lead (Stakeholder Outreach)

VectorNorth
10.2021 - Current
  • Designed and implemented the Stakeholder Outreach and Adoption Strategy for the SAFFIRE enterprise CV/SOM Tool Suite
  • Served as the Agile Program Manager for a Task Order with a budget of > $30M, including multiple ECPs.
  • Built a cross-functional team that included software developers, software integrators, release train engineers, product owners, scrum masters, and mission engineers
  • Provided the technical direction and vision for the task order, including the capture and execution of additional funding streams to grow the team from ten to fifty employees over the span of two years
  • Established strong relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring support for computer vision and SOM adoption throughout the workforce
  • Delivered high-quality results by setting performance metrics and monitoring progress against targets.
  • Increased customer satisfaction through effective communication of program goals and expectations.
  • Interacted with customers and clients to identify pain points, bottlenecks, and duplication within their workflows that could be alleviated through automation.
  • Established milestones and objectives based on input from functional areas and stakeholders.
  • Optimized resource allocation, effectively balancing priorities and managing competing demands coming from engaged stakeholders

Data Scientist

BlackHorse Solutions, Inc.
10.2020 - 10.2021
  • Supported small, interdisciplinary team through multiple research and development projects
  • Implemented deployable AI model pipeline to include pretraining, finetuning, and distillation using TensorFlow, Keras, and TensorFlow Serving
  • Evaluated multiple model architectures for tradeoffs in size, speed, and accuracy
  • Worked with DSP engineers to generate both real and synthetic data to use for training and evaluation of deep neural networks
  • Designed and developed neural network to distinguish between stationary camera footage and drone footage

Technical Director

CACI, Deep Learning Research Lab
12.2018 - 10.2020
  • Responsible for the leadership, vision, day-to-day tasking, funding procurement, and financial management of a multi-disciplinary group of 18 software engineers and data scientists building deep learning solutions for intelligence-related challenges throughout the community.
  • Led an agile software development team through the design and implementation of a microservice architecture for a web-based computer vision application, utilizing Kafka, Redis, Keras, Tensorflow, Python, PostgreSQL, PostGIS, numpy, scipy, Docker, Kubernetes and other software packages.
  • Coordinated the team of data scientists to drive innovation and transition new deep learning technologies and techniques into a production system.
  • Led the transition of an on-premises system to a cloud-based architecture, utilizing AWS resources such as RDS, S3, SQS, SNS, and ElastiCache.
  • Provided technical leadership for the team, with responsibilities including presentations, demos, TEMs, customer meetings, corporate meetings, and business development.
  • Provided ongoing technical and financial status to the government customer through program management and design reviews.
  • Successfully led the proposal effort to procure a multi-year, multi-million-dollar computer vision contract.

Senior Software Developer

CACI, Deep Learning Research Lab
06.2015 - 11.2018
  • Served as a technical point of contact for the computer vision application, with responsibilities including presentations, demos, and technical exchanges.
  • Used machine learning concepts such as artificial neural networks, support vector machines, and convolutional neural networks for classification and object recognition algorithms.
  • Developed software to support a predictive analytics tool using Bayesian Belief Networks.
  • Responded quickly to changing priorities and needs in a research based, lab environment.
  • Worked with PostgresQL, PostGIS, Python, Java, Mongo, Django.

Senior Software Developer

Northrop Grumman Information Systems
02.2014 - 06.2015
  • Used NASA Worldwind and Eclipse RCP4 to create an interactive mission planning tool suite, to include geoprediction and visibility analysis for multi-sensor collection scenarios.
  • Developed software to process data from a variety of different sources, creating a system that spans mission planning, mission execution, and mission assessment.
  • Supervised the day-to-day tasking of the junior engineers within the team, providing technical assistance, mentoring, and domain knowledge.

Principal Investigator

Northrop Grumman Information Systems, CRAD
08.2010 - 01.2014
  • Developed geolocation, geoprediction, visibility, and mission planning algorithms in Java and C++ as part of a system that was deployed to multiple sites.
  • Adapted the software to use a JMS-based service-oriented architecture.
  • Proposed and executed a research task to assist the customer in setting the geolocation accuracy requirements for a future operational system.
  • Designed a Java-based visualization for the geoprediction/mission planning services that was deployed as part of an operational system.
  • Served as the subject matter expert for this technology as it was being referenced and used in proposals, IRADs, and CRADs.

Software Developer

Northrop Grumman Information Systems
06.2007 - 07.2010
  • Researched the applicability of Bayesian networks to assist with real time situational awareness and decision making.
  • Provided technical leadership and vision as part of a four-person research and development team.
  • Rapidly prototyped software in Java for proof of concept demonstrations and customer presentations, including MATLAB backend processing with user interfaces in Java.
  • Developed models, simulations, and algorithms to exercise prototyped software.

Software Developer

Northrop Grumman Information Systems
06.1999 - 05.2007
  • Developed and implemented complex scientific algorithms for a large scale, real-time signal processing application.
  • Designed software in C++ to perform linking, geolocation, and characterization for operational deployment.
  • Applied statistical methods to analyze and optimize data processing.
  • Served as the technical point of contact for the IPT, working closely with systems engineering, customer representatives, analysts, and IT.

Education

B.S - Engineering Physics

Colorado School of Mines
Golden, CO
1999

Skills

  • Project management and leadership of agile software development teams
  • Technical leadership of software and research-based teams
  • Financial planning and reporting
  • Interviewing and performance reviews
  • Customer interfacing and business development
  • Presentations and demonstrations
  • Training and deployment of deep neural networks at production scale
  • Python, TensorFlow, Keras, Java, C, Docker, Kafka, Redis, PostgreSQL, AWS
  • Certified SAFe 5 Government Practitioner – Agile SVT

Additional Information

TS/SCI with current polygraph

Timeline

Task Order Lead (Stakeholder Outreach)

VectorNorth
10.2021 - Current

Data Scientist

BlackHorse Solutions, Inc.
10.2020 - 10.2021

Technical Director

CACI, Deep Learning Research Lab
12.2018 - 10.2020

Senior Software Developer

CACI, Deep Learning Research Lab
06.2015 - 11.2018

Senior Software Developer

Northrop Grumman Information Systems
02.2014 - 06.2015

Principal Investigator

Northrop Grumman Information Systems, CRAD
08.2010 - 01.2014

Software Developer

Northrop Grumman Information Systems
06.2007 - 07.2010

Software Developer

Northrop Grumman Information Systems
06.1999 - 05.2007

B.S - Engineering Physics

Colorado School of Mines

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