Hey there! I'm Don 👋

I'm a seasoned Solutions Architect and AI Engineer with over 20 years of experience delivering impactful solutions across dynamic industries—including travel & transportation, life sciences, public sector, telecommunications, and insurance. My career has spanned architecture, development, and the strategic implementation of transformative business solutions powered by data and cutting-edge AI.

🧑‍💻 AI isn't just my job—it's my passion. I've spent recent years deep-diving into generative AI, large language models (LLMs), and computer vision technologies. From building applications with OpenAI, Claude, and Gemini to leveraging vision powerhouses like Florence and SAM, my mission is to create powerful, responsible AI systems with robust safety measures and precise evaluation metrics.

🤖 Tech Stack & Frameworks: I craft scalable, production-ready AI solutions using top-tier frameworks like LangChain, AG2, and Hugging Face. My toolkit also includes MCP, Data Engeineering frameworks, FastAPI, Docker, and Kubernetes. I focus heavily on LLMOps and Telemetry to ensure AI deployments are reliable, maintainable, and scalable in real-world environments.

📚 Certified & Always Curious: Continuous learning is core to who I am. I'm certified as an AI Makerspace Certified AI Engineer (2024), Microsoft Azure AI Engineer & Solutions Architect (2024), Neo4j Certified Professional, AWS Architect & Generative AI Specialist, IBM watsonx.ai, and Snowflake. I constantly seek new knowledge and use architectural thinking to tackle complex AI challenges head-on.

🌴 Home Base: I live and work from sunny Southern California! 🔆

https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1m7clPLmPA8-AAg_DqSv2vUXBXQVbjXI&usp=sharing

🚀 Why AI Engineering?

For me, AI Engineering is the ultimate intersection of visionary architectural design and innovative technology. Since earning my own AI Engineering certification last year, I've experienced firsthand the exhilarating possibilities—and occasional hurdles—in this field. My passion is guiding others through the maze of AI tools, frameworks, and best practices, helping them to avoid pitfalls and unlock massive business transformations through smart, strategic AI deployments.

<aside> 🌐 The AI Makerspace Engineering Bootcamp isn't just a course; it's a supportive community where ideas will blossom, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it.

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🆘 How I Can Help You Thrive:

I'm here to help bridge the gap between theoretical concepts and hands-on practical implementation. Whether it's fine-tuning large language models, mastering Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems, or optimizing vector stores, I'll coach you through choosing appropriate frameworks, enhancing performance, identifying evaluation practices, and deploying scalable solutions.