James W. Kies

About James W. Kies

I once read a line that stuck with me:\"I like ambitious goals. I like thinking about how to anticipate the future.\"That has defined my career.I am a hands-on Engineering Director and Senior Software Engineer with 25+ years building and leading delivery organizations. Over the last three years, my focus has shifted to disciplined R&D in AI-native software development and enterprise developer productivity.Not hobby experimentation. Not vendor theater. Structured research. Measurable feedback loops. Production-grade prototypes. Repeatable systems.My core question:What happens when AI lives inside the developer’s environment, infrastructure, and workflow instead of inside a chat window?Outside of work, I run parallel experiments exploring:• Local-first AI systems• IDE-native copilots trained on real codebases• Infrastructure-as-Code for intelligence• Agentic workflows inside CI/CD pipelines• MCP servers and secure context gateways• LoRA + RAG pipelines for domain AI• Error-Driven Orchestration loops• Modular WASM architectures that start new projects 70 percent complete. This work evolved into AI Dev Bridge, a framework for collecting, structuring, and deploying internal intelligence across engineering teams.The premise is simple:Competitive advantage will not come from the AI vendor you buy.It will come from the intelligence you build and operationalize.I have built:• Voice-controlled offline AI kiosks with MAUI Blazor Hybrid and Lidar• Compliance automation spanning multi-state regulatory datasets• IDE automation loops converting thought → backlog → code → validation• Modular WASM enterprise scaffolding frameworks• Private MCP servers bringing secure, high-context AI into the IDE.Earlier in my career, I led Agile and Lean transformations at PNC, Fiserv, 3M, Verizon, and others, improving delivery flow and measurable outcomes.Today I operate at the intersection of:Engineering LeadershipAI Systems ArchitectureDeveloper Productivity R & DEnterprise Delivery TransformationThe shift is not about tools.It is about workflow. Context. Infrastructure. Governance. Feedback loops and disciplined experimentation.I build systems that help teams embed AI without losing control, move beyond demos, and turn internal intelligence into durable advantage.If you are serious about AI-native SDLC, agentic workflows, or building an internal AI capability instead of renting one;We should talk.

Experience

1. Vice President of Process Improvement, Developer Experience

   PNC

   Mar 2026 — Present

   Continuing to bring a collective voice and sustained investment toward improving the inner-loop experience of our amazing developers and quality engineers.

Education

• Topeka Tech

  CIS

  1995 — 1998

Skills

• .net
• Scrum
• C#
• Asp.net
• Visual Studio
• Software Development
• Asp.net Mvc
• Vb.net
• Javascript
• Wcf
• Html
• Tfs
• Sql
• Silverlight
• Database Design
• Css
• Mvc
• Agile
• Asp
• Wpf
• IT Strategy
• Programming
• Winforms
• Uml
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Strategic Consulting
• Information Architecture
• Organizational Leadership
• Technical Leadership
• Custom Software Development
• Custom Software
• Html5
• Database Development
• Application Development
• Non-Profits
• Nonprofit Consulting
• Volunteer Coordinating
• Church Growth
• Nonprofits
• .net Framework