Mark D Rushton

Director of Software Engineering

About Me

I’m a software engineering leader living in sunny San Diego, California. My path has woven back and forth between being a developer and manager multiple times. My most noteworthy accomplishments arise from unraveling complex issues and guiding teams to forge remarkable creations. I am most content when surrounded by enthusiastic and witty people, driven by a strong passion for solving problems — that’s when I’m truly in my element.


Some neato stuff I dun did:

Built a 1965 Rambler American

Converted a 1988 Suzuki Samurai to Electric (EV)

UC San Diego Extension - Instructor Spotlight

A lil’ bit of hiking (AllTrails bio)

Current Positions

GitHub

Director of Software Engineering

April 2021 - Present

github.com

Built a team from the ground up with the prime directive of deprecating old services and building amazing products.

My team was responsible for delivering extremely popular features such as math rendering in GitHub, and the ability to render mermaid diagrams. Along with these features, we embarked on a 2 year project to deprecated a neglected service that had more security vulnerabilities than a sticky note with passwords on it.

Currently my team is embedded in the Copilot organization, enabling user management and billing capabilities to businesses and individuals wanting to use the cornucopia of AI products we offer.

University of San Diego Extension

Instructor of Project Management and Agile Courses

October 2018 - Present

extendedstudies.ucsd.edu

Courses: Project Management Essentials and Agile Power Practices

I’m the instructor for 2 courses: Project Management Essentials and Agile Power Practices. These courses, depending on the session, are in person, totally online, or a hybrid. Being able to help and connect with professionals and those new to project management allows me to stay connected to the needs of those who are seeking practical and applicable skills. This is an extremely fulfilling and humbling experience to be able to teach these courses.

Education

Missouri University of Science and Technology

Master of Science, Systems Engineering

mst.edu

Missouri State University

Bachelor of Science, Mathematics and Computer Science

missouristate.edu

Certifications

PMP, ACP, CSM, CSPO, CSP, ICP-ACC, Six Sigma Green Belt

Prior Experience

GitHub

Director of Technical Program Management

May 2016 - April 2021

github.com

Sungevity

Software Project Manager / Scrum Master

February 2015 - May 2016

Sungevity - Oakland California

Sony Mobile

Project Manager - Mobile

October 2013 - February 2015

sony.com

General Things

Project Manager / Engineering Manager

August 2012 - October 2013

(acquired by GoPro)

Watts Water Technologies

Engineering Manager

2007 - 2012

watts.com

Robert Half Technology

Technical Recruiter

2006 - 2007

roberthalf.com

Watts Radiant

Software Developer / Design Assistant

2004 - 2006

watts.com

Freelance Consultant, Programmer, AutoCAD

2001 - 2004

Black & Veatch

Software Developer / Intern

1998 - 2001

bv.com