Trae Eddie.Résumé
FULL-STACK ENGINEER / DES MOINES, IA

Better tools.
More human
work.

I’m Trae. I’m a full-stack engineer who likes turning difficult problems into useful software. I learn what the problem calls for, build across the stack, and help other engineers do the same. I’m always up for building something I haven’t built before.

Explore my work Let’s talk

5+ years at Homesteaders Life Company
Currently in AI Enablement · previously Sales Experience

SMALL DECISION. LASTING DIFFERENCE.
FOLLOW-UP LETTER

One claim needs
a different approach.

Contact our specialist for this record.
RECORD-SPECIFIC OVERRIDE Saved ✓
Day 30Exception kept
Day 60Exception kept
Day 90Exception kept

The person makes the decision.
The system remembers it.

CONCEPT PREVIEW · FICTIONAL RECORDTry the working demo

Cross-team leadershipAligned 5+ teams on Entra authentication

Full-stack ownershipBusiness conversations through delivery and testing

AI enablementReusable foundations, practical guidance, and mentoring

01 / SELECTED WORK

Useful starts with understanding.

Work at Homesteaders Life Company.
The problems, my part, and the decisions that mattered.

INTERNAL TOOLS · PRODUCT JUDGMENT

The exception is part of the workflow.

Operations staff needed to follow up on missing documents without repeating the same work. I co-developed the workflow and built the editor, then added the details that make automation useful in practice.

Co-developed · mentored four interns
Try the demo

Co-developed implementation

01

Put operations in control.

Rules, templates, and 30/60/90-day follow-ups that staff can manage without a code change.

02

Remember the exception.

A claim-specific edit carries into the next follow-up. Staff don’t have to make the same correction twice.

03

Make changes recoverable.

Version history restores earlier templates. A better workflow also needs a way back.

AI ENABLEMENT · DEVELOPER EXPERIENCE02

Make AI easier for the next engineer.

I built a .NET MCP server and a reusable golden path with logging, Azure App Configuration, and shared setup already in place. I used it with an analytics API first, then began helping the department build and use MCP servers.

Built the foundation · mentoring engineers

Template built · enablement ongoing

THE DECISION

Developers add their tools and adjust configuration instead of rebuilding the same foundation.

.NET / MCPGolden path templateDeveloper mentoring
PYTHON · APPLIED AI03

Make internal knowledge more useful.

I independently built a Python proof of concept connecting Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, and ETL, with role-aware access to internal information. I presented the analytics chatbot to our executive committee.

Independently built

Proof of concept · presented to executive committee

THE DECISION

Explore what AI can enable while accounting for who can access the information.

PythonAzure OpenAIAzure AI Search
TECHNICAL LEADERSHIP · IDENTITY04

One direction for authentication.

I saw 5+ teams taking different approaches to authentication and initiated the effort to unify our direction. I drove alignment on Microsoft Entra ID for APIs and applications across the organization, without being assigned the work.

Self-initiated · alignment across 5+ teams

Shared Entra direction agreed

THE DECISION

Take ownership of a problem that crosses team boundaries, then bring people to a shared decision.

Cross-team alignmentEntra IDAPI Management
FULL STACK · CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE05

Make complex data feel straightforward.

I connected a responsive Blazor dashboard to analytics APIs for the company’s largest consolidator customers, with independent loading and optimized SQL queries.

Built UI and API integration · optimized queries

Application delivery

THE DECISION

Show available content while other requests finish, across desktop, tablet, and mobile.

BlazorAPI integrationSQL
02 / WORKING DEMO

See the decision in action.

SYNTHETIC DATA · REAL IMPLEMENTATION

A workflow that remembers.

Change a letter. Save a record override. Advance to day 60.
Your exception stays with that record. Other records keep the shared template.

React + TypeScript
ASP.NET Core / .NET 10
01 Edit the letter→02 Save a record override→03 Advance to day 60

Your own temporary session. No sign-up. Nothing gets sent.

An original demonstration inspired by workflow engineering patterns. All records are fictional. No employer code, data, or private systems.

03 / THE ENGINEER BEHIND THE WORK

Own the problem.
Care about
the people.

Trae EddieEngineer. Builder. Always learning.
Download my résumé (PDF)

I like a problem that makes me learn something new.

At Homesteaders, I wear a lot of hats. I work directly with the business to understand what people need, shape the work, build it, test it, and come back for feedback. I often handle the product ownership, business analysis, and quality checks alongside the engineering.

I learn quickly, and difficult ideas tend to draw me in. I like figuring out what’s possible, learning what I’m missing, and building something we can test. When I see a problem worth solving, I take the initiative to move it forward.

When I saw 5+ teams taking different approaches to authentication, I took the initiative to bring us together. I drove alignment on Microsoft Entra ID as our organization’s direction for API and application authentication. No one assigned me that work; I saw a need that crossed team boundaries and acted on it.

I’ve led projects with other developers, mentored four interns, and supported colleagues through code reviews and onboarding. A 1-in-4 on-call rotation has also kept me close to the ongoing responsibility of supporting what we build.

I’ve presented my work to our executive committee multiple times, most recently the AI analytics chatbot proof of concept. I enjoy connecting the technical work to what it could mean for the business.

I’m easygoing, adaptable, and serious about getting better. I value teams that share knowledge, give candid feedback, recognize initiative, treat each other well, and trust people to own their work. I want to keep learning from strong engineers, take on harder problems, and help more teams do their best work.

JAN 2024 — PRESENTApplication Developer II

Homesteaders Life Company
AI Enablement since June 2026
Previously Sales Experience

AUG 2021 — DEC 2023Application Developer

Homesteaders Life Company
C#, VB.NET, SQL, PowerShell
Azure DevOps delivery and support

Professional foundation
C# / .NET, Blazor, SQL Server, APIs, Azure, and Entra ID
AI platforms & prototypes
Python, Azure OpenAI, Azure AI Search, ETL, and MCP
This portfolio
React, TypeScript, .NET, and original Blender assets
Education
AAS, Computer Information Systems · DMACC, May 2021
HELPING OTHERS BUILD WITH AI

Learn it. Build with it.
Help others use it.

Management relies on me to help shape our AI direction: keep up with new tools, develop practical ideas, and help the department adopt them. I spend time building with emerging technology so I can offer useful guidance and support engineers who are still getting comfortable with it.

I want us to lead by example. That means showing what we can build with AI, helping colleagues learn from that work, and finding everyday uses with business teams that could make their work easier and improve its quality.

I’m enthusiastic about AI and pragmatic about where it belongs. I use it where it adds value, and deterministic code where a clear, predictable rule does the job. This portfolio is one example of how I build with AI assistance. I own the decisions, review the result, and make the work available to try.

Try the workflow
LET’S BUILD SOMETHING USEFUL.

Have a problem
worth owning?

I’m looking for worthwhile problems, a team I can learn from,
and the freedom to build a thoughtful solution.

Let’s talk
[email protected]LinkedIn ↗Résumé (PDF) ↓
04 / ROOM FOR CURIOSITY

Useful is the start.
Memorable matters, too.

Independent, AI-assisted experiments.
A different side of the same builder.

An original spiral galaxy with a luminous core and scattered star systems
BLENDER + REACT THREE FIBER

Meridian

Five destinations. Original worlds.
A small galaxy to get lost in.

Explore the galaxy
INTERACTIVE STUDY / SYSTEM CORE

Every layer.
Connected.

An original Blender sculpture of the layers I work across. Select a module, rotate the assembly, or use the still view.

Back to the working demo ↗
Five Blender-built system modules around a violet optical core
A SMALL EXPERIMENT IN PLAY

Signal Garden

A dormant world. A few good connections.
Something worth bringing to life.

SPECIMEN 001 BLENDER / INTERACTIVE
A LITTLE WORLD, BUILT FROM SCRATCH
PLAYABLE EXPERIMENT · 3 LEVELS

Good things grow
from connection.

Turn the pathways. Connect the energy. Wake a tiny living garden, one bloom at a time.

No timer. No account. Just a small moment of discovery.

From an idea to something you can play

This experiment was built through a conversation with an AI coding agent: creative direction and constraints from me; procedural Blender modeling, implementation, and iteration with the agent.

The result is a working puzzle with original 3D assets, keyboard controls, and a still-image fallback. The game uses authored rules, with no live AI calls. The interesting part is taking an idea all the way to a usable experience.