Bio
Kevin Stewart is an engineering executive focused on building teams to build products. He has helped shape the engineering culture at a number of startups, digital agencies and cloud companies. Kevin is particularly experienced in leading remote and distributed teams to consistently deliver quality products. Although he currently resides in Seattle, Kevin is a lifelong New Yorker with dreams of relocating to a sunny island in the Caribbean.
Work
Education
Bachelor of Science, Computer Science
New York University - Polytechnic School of Engineering, Brooklyn, New York, United States
-Publications
Why the most advanced technology solution isn’t always the correct one
The right idea might come at the wrong time. Here's why the most technologically advanced solution might not always be the right one.
How engineering, design, and product form the ‘software trinity’
A guide to effective cross-functional collaboration
Should engineering managers write code?
When, why, and how to code effectively as a manager
Fighting the mirrortocracy with inclusive hiring
Four ways to foster inclusive recruitment and help make tech the meritocracy it should be
Want to advance underrepresented folks in tech? Sponsor them.
Why representation and sponsorship can make all the difference
How to make pathfinder soup
Like the parable of stone soup, pathfinders can help development teams deliver complex and ambiguous projects, one ingredient at a time.
Creating open source projects for your community
Different approaches to open source projects
Serverless is the new LAMP stack
Improving on LAMP as the foundation for modern applications.
The thin line between technology advocacy and ideology
Exploring the biases we hold about technologies
Managing technical risk
Understanding the motivations behind an engineer’s desire to affect your tech stack
Onboarding remote, early-career engineers
Asynchronous communication and a structured approach
Navigating conflict between management styles
Are you more Manhattan or Apollo?
The problem with 'the platform'
Kubernetes can lead to over-engineered solutions, but it's a context problem, not a technical one.
How to build a startup engineering team
Advice for when you’re starting from scratch and designing for growth.
Presentations and Talks
Suplexes and superpowers::Lead Developer Austin 2018
In this talk, I explore several examples from inside the ring and the big screen that illustrate approaches to building teams and achieving goals. We will also discuss a few real world situations where I have applied these tools. This presentation is applicable to anyone that is part of a software team. No spandex required.
Going (Cloud) Native::Software Architecture Conference 2018
Many organizations are racing to adopt cloud native to unlock all of the benefits that microservices, containers, and orchestration tools such as Kubernetes promise to deliver. Kevin Stewart explores the people, processes, and cultural aspects that complement the cloud-native computing technology stack.
Managing While Black::O'Reilly Open Source Conference 2016
[IMPROVED VERSION] You are (or want to be) a manager at a tech company. Ideas you present are ignored while the same ideas, when presented by others, are accepted. You deliver on difficult projects time and again, yet deserved promotions and recognition seem to elude you. You build strong teams of talented individuals that other teams want for themselves. Still, you can’t get a seat at the decision makers’ table. Congratulations! You’re managing while black. In this talk, I explore the challenges faced by people of color in leadership positions and explain why we might want to rethink how we approach diversity in the tech industry.
Managing While Black::AlterConf 2015
[FIRST VERSION] You are (or want to be) a manager at a tech company. Ideas you present are ignored while the same ideas, when presented by others, are accepted. You deliver on difficult projects time and again, yet deserved promotions and recognition seem to elude you. You build strong teams of talented individuals that other teams want for themselves. Still, you can’t get a seat at the decision makers’ table. Congratulations! You’re managing while black.