Byron Walker

CTO

Dallas, Texas, United States18 yrs 10 mos experience
Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

  • Proven technology leader with extensive experience in cross-functional team management.
  • Expert in cloud-native architecture and product development.
  • Strong focus on innovation and team performance optimization.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS technology leader with expertise in cloud architecture and product development.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Cloud ArchitectureProduct DevelopmentStart-up LeadershipTeam ManagementStrategic PlanningApi DevelopmentDatabase ManagementSoftware Development

Other Skills

System ArchitectureCloud-native architectureGCPKubernetesGitOpsKotlinSpring BootFlutterReal-time family treesPersonalized feedsSecure messagingMedia sharingLegacy storytellingBusiness OwnershipUser Experience (UX)

About

Motivated and results-driven technology leader with a strong foundation in engineering and extensive experience managing cross-functional teams to deliver large-scale, high-impact applications. Skilled in driving innovation, optimizing team performance, and aligning technical initiatives with business objectives. Known for fostering collaborative, inclusive environments that promote growth and productivity.

Experience

18 yrs 10 mos
Total Experience
2 yrs 5 mos
Average Tenure
6 yrs 3 mos
Current Experience

Kinnect | save memories, improve relationships

Chief Technology Officer

May 2025Present · 1 yr 1 mo · Remote

  • As CTO of Kinnect, I lead the technology strategy and execution behind a next-generation social platform built to preserve what matters most—our stories, our relationships, and our family legacy.
  • My work spans across infrastructure, product, and engineering leadership, including:
  • System Architecture & Infrastructure
  • Oversee the design and evolution of Kinnect’s cloud-native architecture, leveraging GCP (Google Cloud Platform), Kubernetes (GKE), and GitOps via ArgoCD.
  • Spearheaded the migration from AWS to GCP, optimizing for scalability, security, and performance.
  • Architected a microservices ecosystem that supports our mobile, web, and admin experiences.
  • Platform & Product Development
  • Lead cross-functional teams to build and maintain Kinnect’s mobile and backend platforms.
  • Manage development of our Kotlin/Spring Boot APIs, Flutter mobile apps, and authentication systems.
  • Built foundational features including real-time family trees, personalized feeds, secure messaging, media sharing, and legacy storytelling tools.
  • Privacy, Identity & Legacy
  • Designed a unique identity model grounded in family connections rather than followers or likes.
  • Implemented advanced user permissions, and secure legacy data access for future generations.
  • Team Leadership & Vision
  • Lead a globally distributed team of engineers, designers, and contractors.
  • Drive product innovation through deep technical insight and human-centered thinking.
System ArchitectureCloud-native architectureGCPKubernetesGitOpsKotlin+9

Kinnectd

Founder

May 2024Present · 2 yrs 1 mo · Remote

Start-up LeadershipBusiness OwnershipUser Experience (UX)Start-up Ventures

Github

2 roles

Senior Software Engineering Manager

Promoted

Sep 2021Present · 4 yrs 9 mos

  • Leadership & Team Growth
  • Managed two teams: Webhooks (2021–2023) & Web Systems (2023–Present).
  • Built a strong team culture, fostering collaboration & psychological safety.
  • Mentored engineers, leading to promotions & leadership advancements.
  • Developed custom growth plans through 1:1 coaching & performance feedback.
  • Strategic Planning & Optimization
  • Led quarterly & capacity planning, reducing scope creep & improving project execution.
  • Introduced automated task boards & priority matrices, enhancing efficiency.
  • Shifted team operations from reactive to proactive, boosting satisfaction & output.
  • Key Deliverables & Impact
  • ✅ OpenAPI Schemas: Streamlined GitHub’s Webhooks API, enabling faster SDK integration.
  • ✅ Webhook Payload Migration: Moved to Azure Blob Storage, reducing MySQL usage by 67% &
  • enhancing performance.
  • ✅ CLI Integration: Simplified webhook configuration, improving developer experience.
  • ✅ GitHub Global Navigation: Delivered a faster, more seamless UX, supporting GitHub’s 2025 MAS C
  • objectives.
  • ✅ React Migration & SSR Implementation: Improved repository & code view performance,
  • benefitting users on low-power devices.
  • Automation & Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Built a Slack bot to automate incident updates & notifications, reducing onboarding overhead.
  • Partnered with product, engineering, & leadership to align initiatives with company goals.
  • Led hiring & onboarding, streamlining documentation & automation.
Team ManagementStrategic PlanningTask AutomationWebhooks APIAzure Blob StorageReact+2

Senior Software Engineer

Mar 2020Sep 2021 · 1 yr 6 mos

  • Managed Npm, RubyGems, Nuget, and Maven registries and their front ends
  • Developed, reviewed, and maintained code in Ruby on Rails, Javascript, and Go
  • Collaborated with front end ecosystems teams at Github to implement emerging
  • technologies
  • Partnered with Product and Design teams to create new features
  • Evaluated and recommended solutions, guiding team decision making
  • Documented systems for clarity and reference
  • Coordinated with engineering and product leadership to prioritize projects aligning
  • with business objectives
  • Mentored, paired, and delegated work to foster professional and technical growth
  • Collaborated with support to triage and troubleshoot technical support requests.
Ruby on RailsJavaScriptGoFront-end DevelopmentCollaborationSoftware Development

Capital one

5 roles

Senior Software Engineer

May 2019Mar 2020 · 10 mos

  • Team: Protons
  • Project: Dark Matter
  • Responsibilities:
  • Develop core components of the card platform while maximizing modularity, scalability, and resiliency.
  • Work with business partners to define project objectives and ensure delivery timelines.
  • Collaborate with other senior associates to design system architecture.
  • Code Review products to ensure there are no anti-patterns or bad practices.
  • Provide mentorship to associates to ensure they are following the best programming practices and good design patterns.
JavaSpringModularityScalabilityResiliencySoftware Development

Senior Software Engineer - Principal Associate

Promoted

Jul 2016May 2019 · 2 yrs 10 mos

  • Teams: Innovaniacs
  • Departments: FS Tech - Garage
  • Technologies: Akka, AWS(CloudFormation, CloudSearch EC2, ElastiCache/Redis, ELB, KMS, S3, SNS), Bash Scripting, DevOps, Docker, Cassandra, Chef, Java, JavaScript, Jenkins, Kafka, Spring Framework, Scala
  • Responsibilities: Contribute to the digital transformation and cutting edge innovation at Capital One by working as a member of a high performance team dedicated to Research and Development for Financial Services.
AkkaAWSJavaJavaScriptDevOpsSoftware Development

Software Engineer - Senior Associate

Promoted

Jul 2014Jul 2016 · 2 yrs

  • Teams: Innovaniacs, TopGear, Alpinist
  • Departments: IT Digital Operations - Innovation Lab (05/2014 - 06/2016)
  • Technologies: AngularJS, Node.js
  • Responsibilities: Research and Development for Financial Services
  • Methodologies: Agile-Kanban
AngularJSNode.jsAgile-KanbanSoftware Development

Associate Software Engineer

Jan 2014Jul 2014 · 6 mos

  • Teams: Mystery Machine, Zissou, Capital One Labs
  • Departments: Financial Service - Loan Originations (01/2014 - 04/2014)
  • Technologies: Oracle Weblogic, Hudson, Nexus, uDeploy, Java EE, JSP, JSTL, Spring MVC, Ant, Maven, SQL, CSS, Javascript/jQuery.
  • Platforms: Unix, Windows
  • Responsibilities: Develop and maintain COAF Loan Originations Websites and Services; Join weekly tech lead meeting to discuss current development and potential development environment impacts/conflicts; Conduct Job Fit Interviews; Dedicate 10% of my bandwidth to Capital One Labs (Research and Development) when necessary.
  • Methodologies: Agile
Oracle WeblogicJava EESQLCSSJavaScriptSoftware Development

ITDP Associate/Tech Lead

Jul 2012Jan 2014 · 1 yr 6 mos

  • Teams: WWW, Digital Mavericks, Digital Cowboys, Ferrari, Capital One Labs
  • Departments: Enterprise Services - Digital IT (07/2012 - 07/2013), Enterprise Data Systems - Auto Data Warehouse (07/2013 - 01/2014).
  • Technologies: Oracle Weblogic, Apache, Apache Tomcat, Java Portals, Java EE, JSP, JSTL, Freemarker Templates, Spring MVC, Ant, Maven, SQL, CSS, Javascript/jQuery, Ab Initio, Teradata, Bash Scripting, Control M.
  • Platforms: Unix, Windows.
  • Responsibilities: Develop and maintain Capital One Websites; Join weekly Senior Leadership Team Meetings to meet with the Business to review the status of all projects and discuss any issues that any teams within the department may be facing; Conduct Job Fit Interviews for potential new hire ITDP (Information Technology Development Program) associates looking to fill a position within Platform Engineering, Software Engineering, or Quality Service. Deliver analytic data from the data warehouse, by use of ETL (Extract, Transform, and Load) tools, for COAF data analyst. Dedicate 10% of my bandwidth to Capital One Labs (Research and Development)
  • Methodologies: Agile
Oracle WeblogicJava EESQLCSSJavaScriptSoftware Development

Kyro technologies, llc

Owner

Jan 2015Jan 2021 · 6 yrs

  • Met with customers to gather requirements and analyze their needs
  • Implemented and delivered custom solutions based on customer specifications
  • Utilized technologies including Java/Spring, JavaScript (Angular/JQuery),
  • Maven/Gradle, and Node.js
JavaSpringJavaScriptAngularNode.jsSoftware Development

Wyzant tutoring

Computer Science Tutor

Apr 2013Sep 2014 · 1 yr 5 mos

  • Provided online tutoring to students seeking assistance with Computer Science
  • Conducted one-on-one sessions to clarify concepts and improve understanding
  • Assisted students in completing assignments and projects related to Computer
  • Science
  • Utilized effective teaching methods to help students grasp complex technical topics
  • Monitored student progress and adjusted teaching strategies as needed to ensure
  • academic success.

Elliott electric supply

Software Developer

Jul 2010Jun 2012 · 1 yr 11 mos

  • Contributed to the development of a new website and initial mobile application
  • Utilized technologies such as Visual Basic, jQuery, and PhoneGap

Stephen f. austin state university

3 roles

Java AARC Tutor

May 2009May 2011 · 2 yrs

  • Assisted students with Java Programming
  • Updated software
  • Created websites and advertisements

Student Technician/Systems Support

May 2009Jul 2010 · 1 yr 2 mos

  • Manage University servers and databases
  • Repair and set-up new computers, networks, and servers
  • Create software for University use
  • Provide technical support for University Staff and Faculty

Lab manager

Aug 2008May 2009 · 9 mos

  • Assisted students needing computer help
  • Managed Linux Server
  • Maintained over 150 nodes

Wiley college

Intern

Jan 2008May 2008 · 4 mos

  • I worked with a team of students to help develop a new website for the college.

Best buy

Home and Office Specialist

Nov 2007May 2008 · 6 mos

  • Assisted customers seeking to purchase a PC for their home/office.
  • Trained for computer hardware
  • Worked with Geek Squad to repair and provide additional services for computers.

Electronic data systems

Field Technician

Mar 2007Oct 2007 · 7 mos

  • Assisted General Motors Company technicians and assembly line workers by using VB over PLC.

Education

Stephen F. Austin State University

B.S — Computer Science; CS

Jan 2008Jan 2012

Wiley University

Jan 2006Jan 2008

North Garland High School

Jan 2002Jan 2006

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