About Me

Justin Leopold

Denver, CO | 303-910-3877 | justinaleopold@gmail.com | LinkedIn | GitHub

Objective

Looking to apply current knowledge and a strong ability to learn quickly to a challenging position on a modern, forward-thinking team using DevOps and automation workflows to improve reliability, scalability, and user outcomes.

Experience

Automation Architect — City and County of Denver

October 2021 – Present | Denver, CO

  • Helped to form an automation program that has saved over 7 million dollars in time savings for city employees and citizens
  • Developed an intake scoring system that is now used across the technology organization
  • Built and delivered automations and integrations across dozens of systems
  • Embedded into the tiger team for permitting as part of the Mayor’s permitting initiative
  • Helped modernize existing code deployments with automated quality checks, CI/CD piplines, and branching policies
  • Developed a CJIS compliant data pipeline for safety organizations such as Denver Police Department to securely move data for better analysis
  • Overhauled the PowerBI cloud and on-premises infrastructure with an automation first mindset. Reduced data outages to zero within 3 months.
  • Provide backup for all private and public cloud infrastructure including VMware VCF, AWS, Terraform, etc.
  • Helped usher in heavy usage of Event-Driven Ansible workflows to greatly decrease reaction time

Senior Systems Architect — Denver Public Schools

April 2018 – October 2021 | Denver, CO

  • Completed migrations of vCenter and ESXi from 6.0 through 7.0
  • Installed and configured VMware NSX-T Micro-segmentation
  • Designed and managed multiple UCS systems across two datacenters with an SDN overlay
  • Monitored, maintained, and patched storage, hypervisor, and compute resources
  • Maintained and troubleshot Linux-based solutions including Graylog, GitLab, and Elasticsearch
  • Used Ansible to manage server configuration on Windows and Linux
  • Implemented Zerto for Tier 1 application DR replication
  • Managed GitLab server with multiple CI/CD pipelines
  • Gained proficiency in Python, PowerShell, and Ansible automation
  • Provided backup for the storage administrator covering EMC, Tegile, and Veeam products
  • Set up an on-premises Kubernetes environment using Rancher, Longhorn, Harbor, and GitLab
  • Chosen as solution architect for an AWS build-out to support new data initiatives

Deployment Engineer — Denver Public Schools

March 2017 – March 2018 | Denver, CO

  • Designed and implemented an internal certificate authority infrastructure
  • Built and deployed a large number of PowerShell modules via a CI/CD process
  • Built and maintained a large SolarWinds monitoring system for use by multiple teams

Network Administrator III — Denver Public Schools

September 2014 – March 2017 | Denver, CO

  • Managed telecom and network equipment and configuration for 20+ locations
  • Used SolarWinds automation and compliance reports to drive standardization

Network Engineer — Live Consulting LLC

October 2013 – September 2017 | Denver, CO

  • Managed approximately 30 clients and two team members
  • Worked across a wide range of technologies to support small business clients

Technical Analyst, Network — Hospital Sisters Health System

October 2013 – September 2017 | IL

  • Supported network equipment (routing, switching) across hundreds of medical sites
  • Performed wireless site surveys of hospitals and led whole-site cutovers
  • Helped integrate VMware technologies to transform the datacenter

Certifications and awards

  • VMware Certified Professional — Data Center Virtualization, vSphere 8
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect — Associate
  • CIO 100 Award — IT Innovation and Leadership (article)
  • APEX Award — Automation Center of Excellence (watch)

BAS, Computer Information Systems — Robert Morris University, IL 2009 | Summa Cum Laude