KELLY KEMNITZ

Ambitious | Innovator | Techie | Motivator | Sports Enthusiast

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ABOUT

With a diverse skill set honed throughout my professional career, I possess a robust foundation in systems management, operations, automation, and testing. Beyond the workplace, Iā€™m passionate about running šŸƒā€ā™‚ļø and playing recreational sports, which have taught me perseverance and the importance of pushing beyond comfort zones. I also take great pride in perfecting the smoking of meats and cheeses, a hobby that requires patience, precision, and creativity. I thrive on challenges, both in my career and my personal interests, firmly believing that stepping outside my comfort zone fuels personal growth and continuous improvement. Currently, I am actively seeking new employment opportunities and am eager to learn and contribute value in any role.

SKILLS

EXPERIENCE

NetApp ā€“ Wichita, KS
Quality Assurance Engineer IIIApril 2016 ā€“ August 2024
  • As Interoperability team lead, drove continuous process improvement, served as a technical resource across the testing organization, and mentored up to 10 junior engineers and student contractors concurrently.
  • Reduced capital expenditures by 60% by converting iSCSI test configurations to a VMware-powered virtual infrastructure.
  • Led the adoption of Agile practices within the team, implementing 20-day sprint cycle and daily stand-ups to drive increased productivity and efficiency.
  • Scoped, tested, and certified over 1,200 distinct VMware solutions for compatibility with NetApp block storage products, including new technologies like NVMe over Fabrics (NVMe-oF).
  • Resolved issues and provided expert guidance by efficiently managing escalations from customer support and technical marketing teams.
  • Acted as team representative in defect stand-up meetings, ensuring release health and championing potential stop-ship issues.
  • Fostered strong partnerships with Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to coordinate qualification efforts and develop tailored test plans aligned with respective product release schedules.
Quality Assurance Engineer IIOctober 2014 ā€“ April 2016
  • Devised, engineered, and executed a cross-organizational strategy to ensure lab systems remained consistently updated to address the latest Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs).
  • Orchestrated a strategic partnership with VMware and engaged bi-weekly to fast-track defect resolution, discuss roadmap milestones, and secure early access to VMware builds, enhancing the product delivery lifecycle.
  • Decreased lab footprint by 40% through the consolidation of hardware components in test configurations, optimizing resource utilization and maximizing test coverage.
  • Optimized VMware deployment times in lab environments by 75% through the development of automation scripts and integration of configuration management tools.
  • Built and maintained a centralized VMware vCenter infrastructure, facilitating collaboration between development and quality assurance teams.
Quality Assurance Engineer I/Student ContractorJanuary 2010 ā€“ October 2014
  • Designed and conducted tests on customer-like environments, incorporating physical servers, host protocol adapters, and multi-path drivers for integration with NetApp block storage products.
  • Developed and maintained documentation for Windows Server solutions, improving configuration processes for both internal teams and external customers.
  • Pinpointed and verified use cases for innovations such as Hyper-V Virtual Fibre Channel, boosting storage scalability.

EDUCATION

Wichita State University ā€“ Wichita, KS
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science
Minor in Mathematics
      Honors: cum laude
August 2008 ā€“ May 2012

PROJECTS

Weather
Resume
Insurance

CONTACT

Phone
(316) 648-6290