Ryan Means

Ryan Means has a diverse and extensive work experience in software development and engineering. Ryan started their career as a Web Developer Intern at the Church of the Nazarene, GMC in 2005, where they designed a PHP ticket workflow system. Ryan then worked as a Web Application Developer for Access Solutions, Inc., where they designed a PHP/MySQL client and sales management system.

In 2006, Ryan joined MidAmerica Nazarene University as a Web Application Developer/Assistant Web Master. Here, they designed an Athletics Management System for the public website and developed core admin functionality using PHP and MySQL.

From 2008 to 2010, Ryan worked as a Private Consultant for Church of the Nazarene, GMC, developing stateful JSF web applications and extending core web services in their MDM. Ryan also developed a set of reusable web components to streamline application development.

In 2010, Ryan joined the Church of the Nazarene GMC as a Software Development Lead. Ryan played a key role in transitioning the organization from stateful Java web applications to a load balanced stateless approach using the Play Framework. Ryan also designed and extended an enterprise MDM CRUD based web service and implemented a full stack solution for over 5,000 users.

From 2013 to 2014, Ryan worked as an Application Developer at Lifeway Christian Resources. Ryan then moved up to become a Tech Lead/Senior Software Engineer, and later a Solution Architect. During these roles, they led efforts to implement various systems and platforms, guided AWS relationships, and converted CI/CD systems to native AWS CodeBuild/Pipeline.

In 2021, Ryan became a Principal Software Engineer at Lifeway Christian Resources, where they are currently responsible for implementing Lifeway's new VOD system "Lifeway On Demand" and building a green-field product from scratch.

Overall, Ryan's work experience showcases their expertise in software development, architecture, and team leadership in various industries, including education, consulting, and religious organizations.

Ryan Means attended MidAmerica Nazarene University from 2004 to 2008, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Computer Science. In addition to their degree, Ryan has obtained several certifications, including Dante Certification Level 1 from Audinate in July 2023, Amazon Web Services Solutions Architect Associate from Amazon Web Services (AWS) in August 2019, and Sun Certified Java Programmer for Java 6 from Oracle in 2010.