About Jon Kern
Outspoken software engineering evangelist, Agile Manifesto co-author, speaker, and author, Jon's experience is wide-ranging across varied problem domains and technology platforms. From jet engine R&D (he's an aerospace engineer, after all) to real-time flight simulator design and development, from TogetherSoft's and OptimalJ's commercially successful modeling tools to building IBM's Manufacturing Execution System software - Jon has seen and done a lot in his 20 years. Peter Coad recruited Jon in September 1999, to help launch TogetherSoft. Jon was a driving force behind the success of the company and its products prior to its sale to Borland. Jon's a nut when it comes to modeling effectively (focused on the business), building and architecting consistently, and doing it in an agile manner to deliver results. If a team ignores these best practices, it invites the peril of building up Technical Debt, as he likes to refer to it. Jon is a speaker that engages the audience and has fun doing it.