Michelle (she/her) is a Senior Software Engineer, with 10 years of experience in tech, from engineering support to manager. She runs an interview format tech podcast called From the Source that examines what tech jobs are really like. A Philadelphia native that now calls Los Angeles home, she is an art school graduate and a self-taught engineer. She enjoys making it easier for others to create great things, from artists to entrepreneurs. Michelle works to promote diversity and inclusion in tech through conference speaking and organizing, mentoring, board membership, and making sure everyone knows they belong here.

Software Engineering

Michelle Brenner is an experienced developer who thrives under the demands of complex high-pressure technical projects. She has a passion for new challenges. At the beginning of each new job, she finds it exhilarating to overcome a steep learning curve involving new technologies and processes. She has always jumped in and quickly brought herself up to speed so she could become a top contributor.

Michelle brings a strong work ethic and a constant drive to increase both her individual ROI and that of her entire team. She enjoys parsing through features and bug reports to find the heart of the issue. When implementing a solution, she always keeps business needs front-and-center. She asks herself, “how can I solve this problem within budget, meet both short-term and long-term expectations, and bring satisfaction and even delight to our customers.”

She prefers to work as part of a team, knowing that a group of smart people can accomplish more together than any member could achieve alone. She likes to think of writing code in an editor as just “putting the cake in the oven.” All of the hard work of picking the recipe and mixing the batter is done as a team before you even begin. As a result, you achieve a diversity of ideas and no one becomes isolated on a small part of the product.

Mentorship

Michelle is always looking to find new connections and to help give back to the tech community. She is currently a part of multiple organizations including  Tech By Choice, Write/Speak/Code, Women Who Code, Ladies Get Paid and We Are LA Tech. If you are looking for mentorship or just want to chat, please feel free to reach out.