Kevin Buell
Software Tech Lead at RTX
Lexington, Kentucky, United States
Summary
🤩
Rockstar🎓
Top SchoolKevin Buell is a seasoned software tech lead with 7 years of formal experience in leadership roles and a long engineering career spanning embedded to web and mobile systems. He has led teams at Automattic, JPMorgan Chase, Garmin, and now RTX, blending front-end craftsmanship with system-level thinking. An active contributor to high-profile open-source projects like Automattic’s Jetpack and Calypso, he focuses on improving accessibility, UX, and polished component work that meaningfully impacts millions of WordPress users. His background includes iOS UI refinements for Simplenote and a history of refactoring and navigation improvements that reveal a practical eye for usability and robustness. Kevin holds advanced computer science degrees from Arizona State University, including a PhD, reflecting deep technical rigor alongside hands-on delivery. Based in Lexington, KY, he pairs academic depth with a builder’s mindset, often surfacing small UX fixes that yield outsized product value.
7 years of coding experience
23 years of employment as a software developer
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Computer Science, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Computer Science at Arizona State University
Github Skills (19)
accessibility10
objective-c10
javascript10
react-components10
ios10
ui-components10
css10
wordpress10
user-interface10
ui-design10
redux10
react-component10
front-end-development10
html10
react10
Programming languages (5)
Github contributions (5)
Automattic/wp-calypso
Feb 2022 - Jan 2023
The JavaScript and API powered WordPress.com
Role in this project:
Front-end Developer
Front-end DeveloperContributions:374 reviews, 56 commits, 341 PRs in 11 months
Contributions summary:Kevin primarily contributed to the front-end development of the WordPress.com Calypso platform. Their work involved implementing and modifying user interface components, particularly within the stats section, to enhance user experience and functionality. They refactored code, added new features, and integrated the MobilePromoCard component. Furthermore, the user worked on integrating fixed navigation headers and made several improvements to existing components like the HeaderCake and navigation arrows.
apireactwordpressjavascriptes6
Automattic/jetpack
Jul 2022 - Oct 2022
Security, performance, marketing, and design tools — Jetpack is made by WordPress experts to make WP sites safer and faster, and help you grow your traffic.
Role in this project:Front-end Developer
Front-end DeveloperContributions:98 reviews, 38 commits, 61 PRs in 3 months
Contributions summary:Kevin primarily focused on improving the user interface and accessibility of the Instant Search feature within the Jetpack plugin. Their work included refactoring keyboard handling for search options by converting links to buttons, improving accessibility through ARIA attributes, and fixing tabbing behavior within the search overlay. The user also addressed styling issues and implemented new components like the "Clear filters" button, enhancing user experience. Further contributions included updates to the DonutMeter and related container and components.
reactexpertswordpressphpsecurity
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