Meet the Team: Jameson Kummer, Senior Project Manager

This month, we’re spotlighting Jameson, our Senior Project Manager. Read on to learn more about Jameson’s unexpected journey into the world of information technology, how he stays busy during the cold winter months, and where in the world he’d love to visit most:

Describe your experience before joining the Emergent Software team

Graduating into the Great Recession put my original plans, and my college experience in Strategic Communications on the backburner as I was thrust unwittingly or unwillingly (we’ll let the reader decide) into the world of Information Technology. Working for a small company to start, I received a crash course in Network Administration, printer management, Exchange Administration, Networked Facsimile Devices, and a cursory knowledge of Network Security, Firewall Management, PCI Compliance, and HIPAA.

Prior to starting with Emergent Software, I spent the last decade in various areas of IT for a Fortune 10 company. In this time, I learned a lot:

• Spending years working with enterprise-wide projects like upgrading 200k computers to use newer versions of Windows, Office and Internet Explorer has given me a different understanding of scope.
• A few years working through ITIL process for a large enterprise, rolling out new tools gave me a new appreciation for Product Ownership.
• Most recently, helping multiple teams mature their Agile approach has driven me to pursue relentless improvement.
• Coupling my education, I realized the value of bulleted lists.

What drew you to join Emergent Software?

Working for a big company was great. I had a lot of opportunities for growth and advancement, but there was a part of me that missed working for a smaller, locally owned company. A place where, rather than being a cog in a large system, I could have the opportunity to naturally put on many hats again. I wanted to be able to apply some of the Agile principles and focus on ideas of building trust, making incremental improvements, and work where experimentation was possible. Additionally, it was a great time for me to transition away from the large enterprise and to expand my focus outside of enterprise IT for healthcare, to small and medium business consultancy.  

How do you fill your time outside of work?

In the before times, my wife and I tended to be as active and outdoors as much as possible. Whether that involves an actual activity like a hike or yard games, or just biking to a brewery and spending some time there. Even with the pandemic warmer months were dotted with time on patios, cycling around the chain of lakes, walks along Minnehaha, and basically any excuse to be out and about.

When outdoor activity isn’t as much of an option, video games take up a disproportionate amount of my time – mostly computer games – but even that can be a struggle after hours in front of a computer. To combat this, we’ve tried to build out our garage gym, so I tend to spend an hour or so in there 4-6 times per week, on top of a daily walk with my dog, Kobi – he’s a very good boy and deserves it.

What’s your favorite movie?

I have always loved comics and superheroes growing up, so I’ve been a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. And with the release of Disney+, my wife and I are debating our third (yes… third) re-watch of the 23 movies in the series since. It’s a time investment, but in the colder months that time is a little easier to find.

Where in the world would you most like to visit that you have never been?

Once we can travel again, I’d love to get out to New Zealand, probably do something incredibly nerdy (as is apropos) like do a Lord of the Rings tour – visit Mordor and The Shire. I want to see mountains again, Gandalf… MOUNTAINS!

What is your biggest motivator?

Laziness. I endeavor for the ability to calmly do nothing. In reality, the concept of “calm” is a big motivator and one of my favorite aspects of Agile – eliminating unnecessary and extraneous process to get down to what is most important so that can be focused on, finished, and moved along. This often involves less “work” and getting more done – so while not truly something born of laziness, it’s a funnier way to enter into the conversation of how to get more value out of doing less.

Thanks for sharing your story with us and being a fantastic member of our team, Jameson! We’re so lucky to have you. Stay tuned for future spotlights of the great people who make up Emergent Software!