Matthew James McDevitt

Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience with AI, including its power and limitations. Well versed on current state of the art.
• Broad experience in software development/engineering.
• Full Stack Developer, proficient with Backend (PHP, MySQL, Node.js) and Frontend technologies (JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, CSS, HTML5, etc.) and welcome experience with many other technologies, including GraphQL, Jest, Docker, Redis, etc.
• Have a holistic grasp of the product development lifecycle.
• Experienced with various development, testing, and monitoring tools including GitHub and JIRA.
• Team player with sharp analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Curious and highly adaptive, embracing new technologies.
• Mature, reliable, experienced: inter-personal relations, understanding the big picture, business realities, etc.

Skills

• Familiar with most popular languages, tools, and technologies: LLMs, AI frontier models, Cursor, TypeScript, ES6 JavaScript, Android, Java, PHP including Laravel framework, C and C++, MySQL, Node.js, npm, Gradle, Python, etc.
• Comfortable wiring up REST APIs and SaaS including Firebase, Supabase, etc.
• LAMP stack: Linux, Apache, PHP, MySQL. Also familiar: Nginx, MongoDB, Python, MariaDB, etc.
• Broad skills in adjacent areas: graphics, audio, and video technologies, including various formats, processing/conversion strategies, and practical applications.
• Strong problem solving skills: ability to independently identify problems, take on challenges and overcome obstacles.
• Excellent teaching and communication skills.

Work Experience

1. Software Engineer (owner)

   DeveloperMCD · Seguin, TX

   2013 – Present

   Developed local AI RAG Chat Server using Python, FastAPI, LangChain, ChromaDB, Ollama, Docker, OpenWeb UI. Chat is live at www.Maktos.com.

   • Built project end-to-end as the sole engineer, from architecture and code implementation to deployment and maintenance.
   • Engineered a private, local-first AI assistant with retrieval over custom knowledge sources and multi-format document ingestion.
   • Exposed OpenAI-compatible and Ollama-compatible APIs with streaming support, enabling plug-and-play integration with existing tools.
   • Improved runtime performance and reliability through GPU-aware model routing and latency instrumentation.
   • Extended the system with transcription and summarization pipelines for video/audio content ingestion into the knowledge base.
   • Also wrote two complete Android games, MushRoom Bounce! and Squid Sudoku, available on Google Play. Both written in Java using a game development framework; the games also target Windows, Mac, Linux, OUYA Android console, and even cross-compiled to run on Raspberry Pi ARM architecture.
   • Wrote app in React Native: Ham Radio Exam Practice Easy, released on Google Play in 2025.

2. Senior Software Engineer (contract, remote)

   Mindful Software · Longmont, CO

   3/2025 – 7/2025

   • Develop React Native app with Expo framework.
   • Develop API using FastAPI and Python to interface with various Large Language Models (LLMs) for AI processing of client submissions.
   • Implement LangSmith service, LangChain, for logging and introspection on LLM activity.
   • Prepare to implement Pinecone vector database to add context and customization to user LLM queries.
   • Work with small team of developers.
   • Personally set up auto-deploy of API code branch to live server, Maestro end-to-end testing, Docker container for LLM.
   • Perform code reviews, help manage tickets and unblock junior developers.
   • Stack included Cursor IDE, TypeScript, Python, Node.js, Docker, Supabase, Maestro, Jest, Render.com, Tailwind CSS for React Native, Gemini.
   • Extensive use of LLM technology in daily development work: bootstrapping, coding, brainstorming, processing data, troubleshooting, proofreading, etc.
   • Worked with Android and iOS versions of the app.

3. Senior Software Engineer (employee, hybrid)

   Ventura Telephone · Ventura, CA

   4/2023 – 7/2024

   • Design, code, and modify React Native App called Stackbay App, targeting both Android and iOS.
   • App used Redux store, Vision Camera, Firebase integration, gestures, multi-screen navigation, clipboard, barcode scanning, photo gallery, API traffic, background geolocation tracking, enforced permissions, forms, fonts, icons, local storage, user auth, etc.
   • Work with Xcode to deploy to Apple App Store.
   • Work with Google Developer Console to deploy Android version to Google Play Store.
   • Set up Linux LAMP development environments and virtual machines.
   • Set up LAMP environment for developer sandbox website hosted on DigitalOcean.
   • Configure Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP to run Stackbay website.
   • Set up and configure additional web server to host GitLab source control repository for the dev team.
   • Develop custom API using PHP, MySQL.
   • Modify company’s main web app, Stackbay, using PHP, MySQL.
   • Begin designing rewrite of Stackbay web app using Laravel 11.
   • Software used: VS Code, Xcode, MySQL Workbench, DataGrip, VirtualBox, Ubuntu Linux, Linux Mint, Windows 10. Used Trello, GitLab, Discord; company used Agile.

4. Full Stack Web Developer (employee, remote)

   LifeSiteNews.com, Inc. · Front Royal, VA

   1/2019 – 12/2020

   • Develop, improve, and maintain LifePetitions.com using PHP 7.4, MySQL, Redis, Laravel, Vue.js, Bootstrap.
   • Work on LifeSiteNews.com using PHP 7.4, MySQL.
   • Interface with MailChimp, Stripe, and other APIs.
   • Configure web server: Ubuntu Linux, Apache 2, Nginx, PHP, MySQL, Redis, etc., and local dev environment.
   • Worked with DeployHQ, Cloudflare, GitHub, Trello.
   • Used Slick carousel library, FontAwesome, Bootstrap on frontend.

5. Mobile Engineer, Android (contract)

   C&C Media Xchange · San Antonio, TX

   8/2018 – 10/2018

   Design and implement 4-part video streaming solution. Communicate directly with customer to determine design requirements and agree on scope of work.

   1. Using FFmpeg, create script to process MP4 files into AES-encoded HLS video stream.
   2. Create MySQL database backend.
   3. Using Java, write Swing GUI application to allow user to load selected HLS streams onto USB flash drive. Java app has connectivity to remote MySQL server, and adds additional RSA encryption to lock contents of USB flash drive to a single end-user.
   4. Create customer-facing Android TV Leanback app to play back AES-encrypted HLS streams, whose AES keys have been RSA-encrypted. ExoPlayer2 is used for playback.

6. Software Engineer (3 month contract)

   Operation Homefront · via Tri-Starr Personnel

   4/2018 – 7/2018

7. Software Engineer (contract)

   UI Centric · via Tri-Starr Personnel

   7/2017 – 4/2018

   • Sony PS4 console development, using ES6 JavaScript, Node.js, and Sony’s TriLithium SDK framework.
   • Worked on PS4 apps for Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) and CBS.
   • Worked on-site in office with 10 other developers.
   • Design features, write new code, modify existing codebase, find and fix errors in large, legacy codebase.
   • Communicate regularly with other developers, project managers, and other stakeholders.
   • Used Agile methodology.
   • Worked with WordPress Core REST API and proprietary RESTful APIs at CBS, etc.
   • Worked daily with popular developer tools: Git, GitLab, JIRA, Postman, Slack, Zoom, Skype, Google Workspace; Charles proxy, Trello, Zeplin, Jenkins, webpack, Node.js, npm, etc.
   • High degree of independence and project ownership, especially the CBS app.

8. Software Engineer (freelance contract)

   Various clients · Popplr, Inc; PogosovLaw.com; Khersonsky Corp; Bexar County Constable; GeoDataVision

   10/2007 – 7/2017

   • Full stack development using PHP, JavaScript including Node.js, jQuery, Java, and MySQL.
   • MySQL relational database design, development, and optimization.
   • Android development.
   • Work with RESTful APIs.
   • Linux server administration, including CentOS, Ubuntu, Mint.

9. Full Stack Web Developer

   Saint Benedict Press, LLC / TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. · Charlotte, NC / Rockford, IL

   2/2004 – 4/2015

   TAN Books and Publishers, Inc. (tanbooks.com), Rockford, IL — acquired by Saint Benedict Press in 2009.

   • Administer Linux web server; manage e-mail, security, updates, and configuration issues.
   • Extensive work customizing and adding features to PHP-based e-commerce package.
   • Work with WHM and cPanel.
   • Maintain, improve retail website using PHP, MySQL, JavaScript, CSS and HTML.
   • Design and maintain MySQL databases.
   • Fix security issues in e-commerce package.
   • Design, code software in Java with MySQL connectivity.
   • Design PHP-based multi-site shared cart e-commerce system.