Analytics Grounded in Reality

About Me

Hi, my name is Phil and I try to use data for good.

 

Whether that’s working towards clean and performant local power generation, thriving and supportive patient communities, or a safe and well-informed citizenry, my aim is to do work that is relevant, substantive, and has a positive impact on people’s lives.

Jan 2023 headshot copy

Work Experience

Mainspring Energy

Staff Analytics Engineer, Oct 2025 – 
Sr. Analytics Engineer, Jan 2023 – Oct 2025

 

Health Union

Sr. Analytics Engineer, Oct 2022 – Dec 2022
Analytics Engineer III, Jun 2021 – Oct 2022
  • Starting in September 2021 I led the newly created Applied Analytics team, which focused on modeling data using dbt and making it available via Looker to analysts distributed throughout the company.
  • My role as the leader of this six-person team was to:
    • Communicate with stakeholders to understand their goals and priorities.
    • Set direction and define what work needs to be done to accomplish those goals
    • Break work down into doable chunks
    • Define when work is considered done
    • Assign work to team members
    • Provide technical support to team members — unblock them, help them decide what direction to go in, provide feedback on works in progress.
    • Review and approve work — is it done and done well
    • Communicate across teams
  • In this time we modeled and conformed data from eight different sources. I was directly involved in the initial modeling of six of those eight (the other two predate my time at HU), and am responsible for the ongoing maintenance and improvement of all of them.
Analytics Engineer, Sep 2020 – Jun 2021
  • Conceptualized and implemented dimensional models in Snowflake data warehouse using dbt
  • Wrote or modified macros or models for performing a variety of data transformations in dbt: flattening, pivoting, tracking history, deriving current state, linear interpolation
  • Worked with stakeholders to define data needs and project scope
  • Integrated new data with legacy data
  • Validated incoming data using Great Expectations
  • Made modeled data available to federated analysts in Looker using LookML
  • Standardized process for data transformation projects (helped to better defined what an AE does at Health Union)
  • Detected, investigated, and resolved data quality issues.
  • Learned a completely new business and technical context.

 

City of Philadelphia – Dept. of Licenses & Inspections

GIS Developer/Analyst, Jul 2018 – Sep 2020
  • Worked with teammates to reorganize data warehouse, rewrite and refactor SQL queries and ETL processes, and rebuild dashboards in light of source database switchover.
  • Learned a completely new business and technical context.
  • Managed ETL processes: fixed bugs, standardized logging, added pipelines, and developed QA/QC scripts.
  • Built internal web-based business intelligence dashboards using Dash python framework. Wrote back-end SQL queries and front-end python code.
  • Helped rebuild internal web-based business intelligence dashboards, this time using Metabase and Flask python framework. Wrote back-end SQL queries, built guts of dashboards in Metabase, and customized front-end in python, html, and css.
  • Fulfilled dozens of ad-hoc data requests. Communicated with requester. Translated into achievable steps. Applied relevant tools and technologies to get results. Documented processes to ensure reproducibility. Communicated results and integrated feedback.
  • Detected, investigated, and resolved data quality issues.
  • Wrote documentation for department’s data team, including a glossary of key terms and phrases, a technical overview of databases and tools that we use, and a guide to where to find certain data (in our various databases/tables).
  • Automated processes using ArcPy, including merging and reporting data.
  • Created tools for analyzing parcels citywide based on their slope and vulnerability to flooding.
  • Created ArcGIS Online feature services, maps, and dashboards to be shared with both internal and external users.
  • Presented at GeoJawn 2019.
  • Presented at 2019 Spring Meeting of MAC URISA.

 

Independent Contractor

Mar 2018 – Jun 2018
  • Developed QGIS plugin (in python) for environmental economics firm
  • Provided web analytics job training for new hire

 

NewCity

Analytics Specialist, August 2012 – August 2017
  • Planned and implemented website tracking systems
  • Managed unruly datasets for dozens of clients
  • Analyzed website and marketing campaign performance over time
  • Planned, created, and presented regular and ad-hoc reports
  • Trained and advised clients and coworkers on how to collect and interpret website data
  • Helped to develop new business by contributing to project proposals and presentations, writing blog posts, and presenting at an industry conference
  • Learned and helped to define analytics specialist role from scratch, mostly through self-teaching and on-the-job experience

 

Education

B.S. in Computer and Information Science, Concentration in Business Information Systems, Minor in Mathematics – Messiah College

2008 – 2012

  • 3.81 GPA
  • Worked as teacher’s assistant for undergraduate statistics courses: graded assignments and provided 1-on-1 help for students
  • Played varsity basketball for two years

Volunteer Experience

Tree Tender – Pennsylvania Horticultural Society

October 2018 – May 2020

  • Took classes to receive certification
  • Planted trees as part of neighborhood group
GIS volunteer – New River Land Trust 

March 2018

  • Used ArcGIS to assess conservation value of local properties
Farm volunteer – Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms

September 2017 – November 2017

  • Worked for a week each at five different small farms, learning practical information on how to produce food