Speaking

Lately I’ve taken up a fondness for speaking at conferences, meetups, and other gatherings. If you’re interested in having me speak with your team or at your event please get in touch and we’ll set something up!

Upcoming talks

August 26, 2017

Computers <3 Structured Data at WordCamp Grand Rapids

August 2014 was a big month for me, professionally speaking: I was accepted to speak at WordCamp Grand Rapids, my first out-of-state WordCamp. Grand Rapids was where I saw my first talk from Chris Lema. It’s where I met my friends Cate, Topher, Brian, and Chris (who’s also responsible for me joining Untappd), who collectively convinced me to bite the bullet and apply to distributed teams, which landed me at 10up. Topher and Cate sat with Kim and I at the after-party, regaling us with stories of raising a family in a household with one parent working remotely full-time; the DeRosia’s — whether they know it or not — are a big part of why Kim and I were ready to bring Emily into the world.

After the conference, Kim and I drove the five hours back home to Columbus in her uncomfortable, silver Honda Civic. I looked forward to the next WordCamp Grand Rapids, to seeing all of my new friends again.

Fast forward a year, and WordCamp Grand Rapids didn’t happen in 2015. 2016 wasn’t in the cards, either, and I was left wondering if I’d ever get to use Grand Rapids as an excuse to return to Beer City, USA.

Tags: Grand Rapids, Structured Data, WordCamp

Past talks

January 10, 2017

Building for the PHP Command Line Interface @ CodeMash 2017

From the day I began speaking at conferences, I’ve joked that CodeMash is my “white whale”; a seemingly unobtainable speaking position, as the conference attracts some of the brightest developers not just in Ohio, but from all over the world.

I attended my first CodeMash in January of 2013 at the recommendation of my mentor, Matt Jones. I had just started at Buckeye Interactive, and I was ready to soak in as much knowledge as possible. Over subsequent years, CodeMash has become the gold standard of what I feel a multi-disciplinary conference should be, and this year I finally get my chance to speak.

Tags: CLI, CodeMash, PHP

February 8, 2017

Writing WP-CLI Commands That Work! at LoopConf 2.1

After LoopConf was delayed due to Hurricane Matthew in October, the organizers invited me to speak at the conference in its new venue, the Sugar House in Salt Lake City, Utah.

I’ll be giving the same talk that was scheduled for Ft. Lauderdale: Writing WP-CLI Commands That Work!

Tags: LoopConf, WordPress, WP-CLI

April 20, 2017

Two new talks at Lone Star PHP

This spring, I head south to the Dallas-Fort Worth area for my first Lone Star PHP conference, where I’ll be premiering two new talks: Computers <3 Structured Data and I’d Like to Write the World Some Docs.

Tags: Documentation, Lone Star PHP, PHP, Structured Data

June 1, 2017

Building for the PHP Command Line Interface @ Music City Code

I always love experiencing a new (to me) conference in a new city, so I’m ecstatic to announce that I’ve been accepted to give Building for the PHP Command Line Interface at Music City Code in Nashville, TN.

Tags: CLI, Music City Code, PHP

June 10, 2017

I’d Like to Write the World Some Docs @ Beer City Code 2017

Grand Rapids is one of my hands-down favorite cities in Michigan, and I’m absolutely bummed that I haven’t been there since I spoke at WordCamp Grand Rapids a few years ago. Luckily, that’s about to change, as I’ve been invited to give I’d Like to Write the World Some Docs this June at Beer City Code 2017.

Tags: Beer City Code, Documentation, Grand Rapids

June 24, 2017

Computers <3 Structured Data @ WordCamp Kent

I’m proud to announce that I’ll be giving Computers <3 Structured Data for the second time this June at WordCamp Kent.

I was fortunate enough to give two talks at WordCamp Northeast Ohio (NEO) — the conference’s old name — last year, and it truly is a fantastic conference. Last year, we had keynotes from Eric Meyer and Chris Lema, and this year we get a keynote from the one and only Carrie Dils (who, if you follow her OfficeHours.FM podcast, invited me to speak with her last fall).

Tags: Structured Data, WordCamp

October 15, 2016

Taking the Web Offline @ WordCamp Ann Arbor

This year, I’ll be speaking for the first time at WordCamp Ann Arbor, presenting my case study Taking the Web Offline!

Tags: Ann Arbor, Offline, WordCamp

October 7, 2016

[RESCHEDULED] Writing WP-CLI Commands That Work! at LoopConf 2016

Thanks to some late changes to the schedule, I’m happy to announce that I’ll be speaking this October at the second-ever LoopConf in sunny Fort Lauderdale, FL!

The focus of my talk will be “Writing WP-CLI Commands That Work!”, which I’ve previously given at WordCamps Dayton and Columbus earlier this year. As such, slides are available on GitHub.

Tags: LoopConf, WP-CLI

December 15, 2016

Building for the PHP Command Line Interface @ Nomad PHP

On my way to #10upSummit, Mr. Cal Evans reached out and asked if I’d be interested in giving my “Building for the PHP Command Line Interface” talk at December’s Nomad PHP (EU Chapter) Meetup. “Me?”, I asked, “giving a talk to an international audience?” Yes, please!

Tags: CLI, Nomad PHP, PHP

February 6, 2016

Taking the Web Offline @ SunshinePHP 2016

The internet is an amazing tool for sharing information with users all over the world, but what happens when “online” isn’t a guarantee? This was the question posed after 10up built an web-based product catalog for one of the world’s leading water technology providers. With a sales team of hundreds, how could we be sure that the sales materials were always available to the sales team, regardless of internet connectivity?

This session is a case-study on taking a web application offline, synchronizing JSON data and assets while maintaining a consistent user experience. Attendees will gain insight on the unique challenges of taking an app offline, as well as the technologies available and strategies for keeping data intact and the user experience seamless.

Tags: IndexedDB, localStorage, Offline, SunshinePHP, WordPress