Columbus, OH (Remote) · shawn@wshawn.com · linkedin.com/in/shawnwallace · github.com/shawnewallace
US Patent 6,941,305 · Marine Veteran · OSU Engineering
Summary
Principal Architect with 30+ years building enterprise systems at scale — from a SaaS CRM platform serving 2,000+ organizations nationwide to production AI architectures on Azure AI Foundry today. Deep expertise in agentic AI systems, event-driven architecture, and cloud-native design. Proven ability to translate complex technical architecture into business outcomes and drive adoption of emerging technologies across large organizations. Equally effective as a practitioner, a client advisor, and a team enabler.
Core Competencies
| AI & Agentic Systems | Architecture & Cloud | Languages & Tools |
|---|---|---|
| Agentic AI Systems & LLM Pipelines | Event-Driven Architecture (EDA/CQRS) | C#, Python, JavaScript, Go |
| Azure AI Foundry & Semantic Kernel | Cloud-Native Design (Azure primary, AWS) | .NET / .NET Aspire / Teams AI Library |
| Model Context Protocol (MCP) | Enterprise Integration & API Strategy | Workshop Design & Technical Enablement |
| GitHub Copilot Enterprise Adoption | Multi-Team Technical Leadership · Executive Stakeholder Communication |
Professional Experience
Principal Architect | Centric Consulting
July 2019 – Present | Columbus, OH (Remote)
Lead enterprise AI architecture and technical strategy across financial services, aviation, and insurance verticals. Serve as subject matter expert for AI service offerings and drive technology culture internally.
AI Integration & Agentic Systems
- Architected production LLM-based helpdesk triage system using fine-tuned GPT-4o-mini on Azure AI Foundry, featuring confidence-based routing, ITSM platform integration, and human review dashboard
- Designed multi-agent orchestration frameworks using Semantic Kernel and Model Context Protocol (MCP) for enterprise client integrations, enabling AI-to-tool connectivity at scale
- Championed AI-first development practices across client engagements, driving measurable adoption of AI-assisted workflows in architecture, code generation, and requirements extraction
- Created and scaled enterprise AI development workshop program across Developer, BA, and Test Automation tracks in both .NET and Java editions — driving measurable adoption, not just awareness
- Designed and facilitated cross-functional AI hackathons to rapidly evaluate competing solution approaches, build team AI skills, and drive alignment — accelerating both problem-solving and organizational readiness
Enterprise Architecture & Cloud
- Designed event-driven architectures across enterprise client engagements — Event Sourcing, CQRS, Event-Carried State Transfer, Outbox Pattern — on Azure and AWS platforms
- Delivered architecture for Java microservices modernization with Spring Boot, Kong API Gateway, DynamoDB, and AWS Lambda for large regional financial institution
- Architected AI-enhanced document management system for aviation MRO client — processing large-scale aircraft maintenance record ingestion with AI-driven metadata extraction, document classification, and full-text indexing across multi-system data flows
Thought Leadership & Enablement
- Founded and lead AI Architect Collaborative working group — driving internal AI strategy, Prompt Hub, playbooks, and knowledge-sharing initiatives across the firm
- Member, Columbus Chamber of Commerce Innovation Council (2 years) — including panel appearance on AI for Small Business (May 2024)
Senior Architect | Centric Consulting
February 2011 – July 2019 | Columbus, OH
- Delivered enterprise software architecture for clients across insurance, financial services, and healthcare verticals
- Led legacy modernization initiatives — improving scalability, reliability, and maintainability through modern patterns and cloud migration
- Conducted architectural reviews, implemented design patterns, and provided technical guidance across cross-functional delivery teams
- Served as adjunct faculty and collaborated with Columbus State Community College to modernize CS curriculum, design a new C# course, and coach instructors in modern development practices (2015–2016)
Architect | Centric Consulting
August 2010 – February 2011 | Columbus, OH
- Delivered enterprise software architecture engagements across financial services and insurance verticals
- Promoted to Senior Architect within six months
Senior Solutions Architect | Heuristic Solutions, LLC
July 2008 – August 2010 | Washington, DC
- Led architecture for LearningBuilder LMS product from inception through first release
- Team lead on multiple client engagements across Microsoft technology stack in Metro DC market
Director of Consulting Services | Allen, Williams & Hughes
July 2007 – July 2008 | Dublin, OH
- Managed consulting engagements and sales cycle; designed and deployed SharePoint/InfoPath environments supporting sales, recruiting, and content delivery workflows for enterprise clients
Co-founder & Chief Technical Officer | Symeron Software, Inc.
August 1998 – July 2007 | Columbus, OH
- Designed and led development of AutoClick, a SaaS CRM/SFA platform for the automotive retail market — scaled to 2,000+ dealership organizations managing 2M+ prospects nationwide
- Architected and maintained scalable production hosting environment supporting enterprise-level multi-tenant deployment
- Integrated platform with major automotive and financial systems: GM, Ford Motor Credit, Credit Acceptance Corp, Mazda North America — using ADF/STAR industry standards
- Received US patent for the platform’s customer management system architecture (September 2005)
Senior Consultant | newMedia, Inc.
November 1995 – August 1998 | Columbus, OH
- Led technical teams delivering enterprise software solutions for large-scale client deployments; served as Microsoft Certified Trainer
Application Developer | Metatec Corporation
September 1993 – November 1995 | Dublin, OH
- Developed commercial content applications for the emerging CD-ROM multimedia platform
- Built data processing and indexing systems for searchable content databases
Infantry Rifleman (0311) | United States Marine Corps
1990 – 1996 *includes both active duty and reserve service
- Served in support of Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
- Developed leadership, discipline, and mission execution skills under high-pressure conditions
Education & Certifications
| Credential | Institution | Year |
|---|---|---|
| BS, Computer Science & Engineering | The Ohio State University | 1997 |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | Amazon Web Services | 2018 |
| Microsoft Certified Professional | Microsoft | Since 1995 |
Technical Skills
| Category | Technologies |
|---|---|
| AI / ML | LLM Pipelines & Agentic Systems (Azure AI Foundry, Semantic Kernel, MCP, Teams AI Library), Copilot Platforms (GitHub Copilot, Microsoft Copilot Studio), Techniques (Agentic RAG, Multi-Agent Orchestration, fine-tuning, Azure AI Search) |
| Event-Driven Architecture | Patterns (Event Sourcing, CQRS, Event-Carried State Transfer, Outbox Pattern), Brokers (Kafka, RabbitMQ) |
| Cloud Platforms | Azure (extensive), AWS (Solutions Architect), GCP (limited) |
| Languages | C#, Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, T-SQL, Go |
| Frameworks | .NET / .NET Aspire, Angular, React, Node.js |
| Databases | Relational (SQL Server, PostgreSQL), NoSQL (Cosmos DB, DynamoDB) |
| Tools & Methods | AI Dev Tools (Claude Code, GitHub Copilot), API Gateways (Kong, Azure APIM, AWS API Gateway), DevOps/CI/CD, Agile (Scrum/Kanban), MLOps |
Speaking & Publications
- Agentic-First with GitHub Copilot — Global Azure Columbus (April 2026)
- Speaker — CodeMash (multiple appearances)
- Speaker — StirTrek (multiple appearances)
- Speaker — Central Ohio .NET Developers Group
- Speaker — Central Ohio Azure User Group
- Technical blog — shawnewallace.com: AI integration, agentic development, event-driven architecture, prompt engineering
- npm package — prompt-library CLI: enterprise AI prompt management tooling
Patents
US Patent 6,941,305 — Customer Management System for Automobile Sales Industry (September 2005)