His role
Senior Program Manager, on site at Microsoft

His project
Developing internal business intelligence applications and enabling business owners making smarter business decisions

His specialty
Agile/Scrum program management methodology, and rescuing project that have "gone south"

Secret to success
Using Scrum methodology “with my own spin;” being transparent, flexible, having a sense of humor

Education
B.S. in computer science from Pacific University; M.S. in computer science from City University, Seattle

Hometown
Teheran, Iran

How long in the U.S.
Since 1994

Child prodigy
Built his first video game at age 7, first computer program at age 9 ("Dad helped!")

Favorite pastime
Riding his motorcycle, a Ducati 1098

Little-known talent
Plays trance music on the keyboard

His role
Director Agile Management Practices, ScrumMaster, Certified Scrum Trainer

Education
MBA in international business from the Moore School of the University of South Carolina

Accomplishment
Led the largest-ever Scrum implementation (at the time) after only reading about it

Expertise
Coaching individuals and teams, building successful Agile practices, undertaking performance improvement initiatives, leading organizational change

Why SolutionsIQ
"SolutionsIQ is interested not just in selling a product, but in helping companies improve their performance, which in turn improves people’s lives."

Family
Married, four children

Interesting fact
Lived in Latin America for three years, fluent in Spanish

Hobbies
Family, cycling, disk golf, fishing, woodworking, cooking, travel, white water rafting

Hometown
Twin Falls, Idaho

Motivation
"If I can help someone realize a breakthrough in their work, something that truly makes a difference, the effect of that change trickles down to so many aspects of their life. Coaching individuals through the adoption of Agile allows me to participate again and again in that kind of a breakthrough."

His role
Principal Consultant, ScrumMaster, Certified Scrum Trainer

What he does
Training, coaching, coding

History
More than 13 years experience in software development and consulting

Accomplishments
Founder of the International Association of Software Architects (IASA) Puget Sound Chapter; speaker at multiple conferences

Goal for this year
Write a book on the architecture of an Agile organization

Computer of choice
Mac

Tribal history
Native American from the Okanagan and Shuswap tribes

Childhood ambition
Basketball player

Proud father
His five-year-old daughter speaks (to varying degrees) English, Hindi, Mandarin Chinese, and ASL

Secret talent
Rapping and writing poetry

His role
Agile Coach, Analyst, Scrum Practitioner

At SolutionsIQ
Trained and coached 30 Scrum project teams during enterprise rollouts, including midsized to Fortune 10 product companies

Previous experience
Background in development, business and functional analysis, organizational change, project management, and business intelligence

Motivation
"I hope to bring out the best in the people that I'm coaching"

Hometown
Tarapur, India

Education
Bachelor of Engineering, Mumbai University, India

Family
Dhaval and wife Lincy became first-time parents on August 13, 2008

Childhood ambition
Professional soccer player; now plays minor-league soccer in Seattle area

Favorite Author
Arthur C Clark

Her role
On-site Resource Manager

How long at SolutionsIQ
Over nine years; was first hired to be main employee-client relationship specialist

Experience
Previously worked as recruiter at Microsoft and account manager at Computer People

Her expertise
Building relationships. "Clients, managers, and employees still remember me years after we've worked together."

Why SolutionsIQ
"Good people and good relationships!"

Hometown
Bellevue, Washington

Family
Husband and two children, ages 17 and 19

First Job
JC Penney: "I did everything but cut hair—including working as a security officer with a taser!"

Favorite pastime
Autocross

Car
Mini Cooper, pepper-white with black, but commutes to work by bus

His role
Senior Technical Recruiter

Experience
Has worked in recruiting for 15 years

How long at SolutionsIQ
12 years

Expertise
Communication, listening to the candidates and clients and understanding their needs

What he loves about his job
Working with people and finding the right positions for them

Hometown
Chicago

Favorite pastime
Spectator sports ("All of them!")

Who he roots for
Local teams and Chicago, but "it's about the sport, not the team"

Favorite music
Classic rock, jazz

Most strenuous thing he's ever done
Helping people move

Her role
Agile Project Manager

How long at SolutionsIQ
Since March 2007

Experience
Has worked in product management and marketing since the 1980s, including at Xerox Palo Alto Research Center

Education
B.A. from University of Minnesota; MBA from Golden Gate University, California

Current Projects
Agile Portfolio and Release Management; Agile training; developing course on Agile Program Management

Hometown
New Germany, MN

Family
Husband (got married in Hong Kong, when it was a British colony); two children, ages 13 and 18

Travel log
Throughout Europe and Asia, including remote Indonesia, Bali, and crossing Throng La Pass in Nepal at 17,500 feet

Best travel story
Being followed by KGB on Trans-Siberian Railroad

Little-known talent
Sewing (as in suits, jackets etc.)

His role
Senior Business Systems Analyst, on site at T-Mobile

What he does
Financial systems analysis projects

Experience
IT consultant in the telecom industry, specializing in business intelligence, data warehousing, e-commerce, billing, and IT development. Loves using Agile methodology.

Education
B.S. in systems management, DePaul University; MBA in finance, Roosevelt University (Chicago)

What he loves to do
Solve problems!

Hometown
Chicago, IL

Best places he ever lived
Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL; Denver, CO; and Toronto, ON

After work
Writes electronica music for his band Chain of Chaos (available on iTunes)

Foreign language
German

Other favorite pastimes
Oil painting, hiking, biking

His role
Delivery Manager, ScrumMaster

Current project
Working at client site as ScrumMaster, demonstrating Agile

Motivation
"Delivering things is my favorite thing, and Agile is the way software gets to the customer the quickest."

Previous experience
28 years as project/ program/ product manager for various software and online service companiess

First job
Many, including working in an ice cream shop

Hometown
Marblehead, MA

Favorite pastime
Sailing

Favorite vacation spot
Desolation Sound (Pacific Northwest)

Volunteer work
Trains volunteers for the Humane Society

Why SolutionsIQ
"I came here to learn from SolutionsIQ experts and to practice Agile."

His role
Senior Software Development Engineer

Current project
.NET gaming project

Recent accomplishment
Spoke at SD West 2008 on Domain
Specific Testing Languages and Agile Usability

Education
BA in psychology, MS in computer science

Expertise
Narrative testing, test-driven development, automated testing, Scrum, Agile software development practices, troubleshooting/ debugging

Hometown
Poughkeepsie, NY

Favorite vacation spot
Maui, Hawaii

Childhood ambition
Astronaut

Why that didn’t happen
Exceeds the height limit (he’s 6’7”)

Why SolutionsIQ
“Of all the companies I’ve ever worked for, SolutionsIQ has the highest quality of employees both professionally and personally.”

Her role
Engagement Manager, ScrumMaster, Agile Coach

Motivation
Helping teams succeed and increase performance and efficiency

Expertise
Architectural design, Java, database design in Agile, test-driven development

Training
Certified in Extreme Programming in 2000; ScrumMaster since 2004

Previous experience
Over 16 years experience in software development, data modeling, and architecture

Recent accomplishment
Created an internal SolutionsIQ community for team leads

Secret ambition
Provide natural energy healing to people and the earth

First came to U.S.
As a high school exchange student in Ohio

Free time
Volunteers for the American Red Cross

Family history
Grandfather was an accomplished Chinese painter

His role
Software Engineer (certified 1991)

Expertise
Numerical modeling, generalized matrix inverse, algorithms, narrative testing, Agile software development

Education
B.S. in Engineering-Physics (Pacific Lutheran University), ΧΕΠ in Meteorology (Texas A&M University), M.S. in Computer Systems (Air Force Institute of Technology)

Why SolutionsIQ
Excellent co-workers

Recent accomplishment
Certified Toastmaster

Home town
Fairmont, MN (or so I'm told)

Travel
Has visited over 30 countries; lived in New Zealand for seven years

Favorite vacation spot
Cathedral Cove, Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Childhood ambition
To be like Mr. Spock

Current project
Creating a climate forecast model (using stone knives and bear skins)

Her role
Senior Quality Assurance Engineer, on site at Safeco Insurance

How long at SolutionsIQ
Two years

Experience
Has worked as test engineer at Microsoft, working with Web and Windows applications

Education
B.A. in engineering from National Chen Kung University, Taiwan

Achievement
Developed automation framework for Windows application at Safeco

Home town
Taipei, Taiwan

Her Taiwanese name
Shuyi (pronounced Shoo-ee)

Recent accomplishment
Finished Seattle-to-Portland bicycle ride (200 miles)

Favorite food
Taiwanese snacks sold by street vendors

Little-known talent
Plays the pipa (Chinese lute)

Her role
Talent Acquisition Consultant

How long at SolutionsIQ
13 years

Motivation
Helping people find a job that matches their skills and interests, and making a significant difference in their lives

Previous Experience
Graduated from West Point with degree in engineering; stationed as army officer in Germany for three years

Why SolutionsIQ
Great team, great people, supportive management

Home town
New York City, NY

Family
Married, son Declan (3), and expecting a baby in October 2008

Favorite vacation spot
Ireland, home of her mother’s family

Favorite pastime
Skiing, hiking, “anything outdoors”

Talent
Plays the piano

His role
Sourcing Operations Manager

What he does
Manages online candidate search efforts, pre-qualifying job seekers for recruiting team evaluation; refine process efficiency and accuracy

Experience
Three years in recruiting, including onsite coordination engagements at Walt Disney Internet Group and Attenex

Why SolutionsIQ
"The corporate culture is very open and inviting, and individuals are encouraged to pursue their own career path"

Secret to success
Aptitude for the industry, and demonstrating technical expertise above and beyond what is required

Home town
Bothell, WA

Favorite pastime
Snowboarding

Best place ever traveled
London

Car
Subaru Impreza Wagon (cool gray)

What he wanted to be when he grew up
Lego engineer, or Lego block architect