Valerie Graybeal

While I have always been a nerd, I first got excited about programming in a high school computer science class. My mind was blown the first time I realized I could pass the result of one function as a parameter to another – I immediately recognized the power of layered algorithms. I studied Computer Science and Art at Western Carolina University, tapping into my left-brain love of logic and right-brain creativity.

Great software is built through training great people, so mentoring and coaching has always been part of my work. My first job after college was at an educational non-profit where I built full-stack web applications (remember LAMP stacks?), taught computer science workshops to K-12 students, and mentored interns.

After several years in education, I found my place in software consulting. I’ve been in software consulting for over a decade, and I’m driven by the variety of problems I get to solve. One month I might be building a cross-platform mobile app; the next I'm designing a cloud IoT integration. What keeps me in consulting, though, is the people. I’m committed to attending to my clients with empathy, supporting my teammates, and collaborating with my product and design team.

When I’m not building software, I'm spending time with my three young children and my husband who is an awesome stay-at-home dad. I enjoy painting watercolors, baking homemade bread, and spending a lot of time outdoors.