Katie Baker

My name is Katie Baker, and I'm a machine learning and data engineering consultant. At my heart, I'm a problem solver. I love having a new challenge to work on, and data challenges never disappoint.

I've worked in machine learning for over a decade, and it's only gotten more interesting as technology continues to evolve. My career started in the healthcare industry, where I was writing my own modeling frameworks, from neural networks to bayesian classifiers, in Java. This is where I fell in love with scalable production architectures for data engineering and machine learning. I was able to work with some incredible engineers, who taught me data modeling standards and extensible design patterns. After nearly 6 years, I moved on to explore other industries and solve different problems.

The next company I worked for, I realized that there was a big gap between most machine learning teams and the software teams where they were hoping to deploy their models. My value in this role, and a value that I continue to offer to my clients, was to bridge the gap between the data teams, business teams, and the devOps/software teams who needed to approve and consume from these models. I created an ML Ops process that enabled them to deploy their first ever machine learning model through CAB (Change Advisory Board) and into production.

The next opportunity was one that I could not turn down. The chance to build a machine learning and data engineering team with completely green fields at a startup. Having the chance to think about how problems should be solved, without tech debt, was such a luxury, and one I continue to enjoy when working for my client's that are startups.
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After nearly two years in this role, I transitioned into full time consulting. As a consultant, I've been able to continue to support the people and teams that I love working with, while also being able to work on other projects, explore other industries, and, ultimately, solve other problems.

Just as every client is unique, so is every engineer. Your goals and your strengths are unique to you. In my full time roles, I have had the opportunity to support some amazing engineers, and it's incredibly fulfilling to help them meet their goals.

The tech world can be challenging to navigate, and with machine learning continuing to evolve, managing and exceeding expectations can be difficult. Some of this comes down to understanding the goals of the groups that you're interfacing with, and finding ways to show value, communicate, and set boundaries. On the other side, is continuing to learn and grow your skill sets to get you into the roles that you want to be in.

I'm passionate about supporting technical individuals who are trying to navigate this space. As a woman in technology, I care deeply about supporting other women, and as an individual coming from a non-traditional background, I believe people from all backgrounds have something valuable to offer the data space. I would love to help you grow and meet your career goals in the technical data space.