Jessie Canon Helping organizations build, improve, and support software they can depend on. Technical Lead · Senior Full Stack Engineer · Independent Consultant

About me

I help people make sense of complicated software

I am a Technical Lead, Senior Full Stack Engineer, and independent consultant with more than 20 years of experience. I have worked on federal government systems, healthcare platforms, university applications, municipal projects, nonprofit websites, and commercial software.

My strongest work often begins with an existing system: something important, complicated, poorly documented, aging, inherited, or difficult to change safely. I learn how it works, identify the real risks, communicate the tradeoffs, and create a path forward that the organization can maintain.

I do not believe every application needs to be rewritten or that the newest technology is automatically the best choice. Good engineering means selecting tools based on business requirements, security, maintainability, budget, team capability, and long-term support.

I am based in Reading, Pennsylvania, work locally in Reading and Philadelphia, and support clients and teams throughout the United States.

Jessie Canon
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What I bring

I lead engineering teams, modernize complex applications, and take long-term ownership of business-critical software. My work spans federal government systems, healthcare, higher education, municipal organizations, nonprofits, and commercial clients.

How can I help?

20+ years in web application engineering and consulting services

Practical technology decisions without unnecessary complexity

Hands-on leadership for a team of approximately 12 developers

Federal, enterprise, healthcare, education, and consulting experience

Architecture, modernization, security, accessibility, and documentation

Experience

Broad technical depth, focused on outcomes

My background combines hands-on engineering, architecture, team leadership, consulting, and long-term support across both modern and legacy technology environments.

Current leadership

As a Technical Lead and Senior Full Stack Engineer at The Tactile Group, I lead technical planning, architecture, and implementation for secure federal, municipal, nonprofit, and enterprise applications. I mentor developers, review architecture and code, estimate work, support technical hiring, and remain directly involved in development.

I currently support U.S. Department of Education systems, including ColdFusion and C#/.NET applications, in AWS GovCloud environments with federal security, accessibility, documentation, and PII-handling requirements.

Independent consulting

Through Clever Sloth LLC, my registered business entity, I provide referral-based consulting as an independent practitioner rather than a multi-person agency. I maintain, repair, modernize, and complete WordPress, PHP, ColdFusion, hosting, and custom application projects.

Many of these relationships have lasted for years because I remain available after launch, communicate clearly, and take responsibility for understanding the system instead of treating delivery as the end of the work.

Recent projects

Below are several recent projects I have contributed to, including projects where I served as the sole developer as well as larger initiatives where I worked as part of a development team.

Philadelphia Energy Authority

Philadelphia Energy Authority is an independent municipal authority advancing solutions that last — for people, neighborhoods, and the region.

WordPress | The Tactile Group

Visit PEA →

Philadelphia Green Capital Corp.

We connect capital to projects that lower energy costs, improve buildings, and create healthier, more resilient communities, ensuring clean energy investments reach the households and neighborhoods that benefit most.

WordPress | The Tactile Group

Visit PGCC →

RightPath

RightPath equips people and organizations with the tools and teachings to hire smarter, develop stronger leaders, and build high-performing teams.

WordPress/ColdFusion | Clever Sloth LLC

Visit RightPath →

Liz Ogbu

Liz Ogbu is a designer + activist operating at the intersection of racial and spatial justice.

WordPress | Clever Sloth LLC

Visit Liz Ogbu →

Philadelphia International Airport

As the only major airport serving the nation’s seventh-largest metro area, PHL connects travelers to 130+ destinations with more than 400 daily departures on 29 airlines.

Drupal | The Tactile Group

Visit PHL →

FRESH Speakers

FRESH Speakers, Inc. is a next-generation speakers bureau, uniquely representing women and people of color–two groups historically left off the public stage.

WordPress | Clever Sloth LLC

Visit FRESH Speakers →

Spark Design Awards

Spark is a community of designers and creative people, bound together by the idea that Design can make positive change in the world.

PHP CodeIgniter| Clever Sloth LLC

Visit SPARK →

Work in practice

Examples of practical engineering applied to complex, business-critical systems

Federal
applications

Maintenance and modernization of ColdFusion and C#/.NET applications supporting federal programs and users.

Healthcare
modernization

Enterprise healthcare development and phased modernization from ColdFusion toward Python, React, and MongoDB.

Public-facing
WordPress

WordPress delivery and practice leadership for Philadelphia Energy Authority and Philadelphia Green Capital Corp.

Long-term
ownership

Years of development, support, modernization, and stakeholder collaboration for mature systems and client websites.

Services

Clear technical guidance and dependable execution

I work best where software matters to the organization and someone needs to understand the system, reduce risk, make sound decisions, and stay involved through delivery and support.

Existing Application Support

Stabilization, troubleshooting, security updates, performance work, production support, and long-term ownership of applications that cannot simply be replaced.

Application Modernization

Practical modernization plans that improve maintainability, security, and user experience without introducing unnecessary operational risk.

Custom Web Applications

Architecture and full-stack development for secure, maintainable applications, APIs, authentication workflows, integrations, and data-driven systems.

WordPress Development

Custom WordPress and WooCommerce solutions, inherited-site rescue, plugin development, accessibility, migrations, performance, SEO, and ongoing maintenance.

Technical Leadership

Architecture reviews, engineering standards, estimation, planning, developer mentoring, code reviews, technical interviews, and stakeholder communication.

Architecture & Documentation

Architecture diagrams, technical specifications, API documentation, SOPs, onboarding material, and documentation that makes systems easier to support.

Security & Accessibility

OWASP remediation, secure authentication patterns, PII-aware development, Section 508, ARIA, screen-reader support, and accessibility beyond minimum compliance.

Responsible AI Adoption

Practical evaluation of AI-assisted development tools, internal use cases, governance considerations, security risks, and adoption that supports rather than replaces sound engineering.

Selected technology services

PHP, Laravel, CodeIgniter, WordPress, WooCommerce, ColdFusion, C#, .NET, JavaScript, Vue.js, React, Python, SQL, MySQL, MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, Oracle, MongoDB, REST APIs, OAuth, JWT, SSO, Login.gov, AWS GovCloud, Docker, GitLab CI/CD, Terraform, Apache, Nginx, Cloudflare, Section 508, ARIA, USWDS, and AI-assisted engineering tools.

How I work

Practical engineering over hype

01.

Understand the real problem

I start with the organization, users, system history, constraints, risks, and the reason the work matters.

02.

Choose a maintainable path

I compare options honestly and avoid rewrites, frameworks, or complexity that do not create meaningful value.

03.

Communicate and document

I make technical decisions understandable to stakeholders and leave documentation that supports the people who follow.

04.

Remain available and accountable

I stay involved through implementation, launch, troubleshooting, and long-term support rather than disappearing after delivery.

How can I help?

Tell me what you are working through

You do not need to arrive with a perfectly defined project. Tell me what is happening, what is not working, or what you are trying to improve. I will respond directly and let you know whether I am a good fit.

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