Lori Samuels

Lori Samuels provides strategy-to-execution, Technical Program Leadership of large-scale AWS Cloud migrations and Software Engineering product development initiatives.

As a managing partner at Silicon Valley CIO, Lori currently provides “on-the-ground” leadership services for:

AWS Cloud Transitions - featuring enterprise-scale migrations (15,000+ servers) of technology assets to AWS, multiple data center consolidations, and re-architecture for cloud-based applications & services.

Technology Management - for complex, strategic Programs as well as experienced leadership for Software Engineering organizations developing mobile & web applications and platform services.

Accessibility Program Management - for ADA & WCAG compliance of mobile & web applications, to support inclusion of customers & employees with disabilities.

Agile Coaching & Training - for software development organizations transitioning to Agile practices, and teams looking to improve their existing engineering processes.

Leveraging her 15+ years of Engineering & Software development experience, Lori enjoys being the "bridge of communication and collaboration" between business stakeholders and technical talent.

Recently at Intuit, Lori led several major technology initiatives, such as: leading the Mint.com Engineering team through a technology transformation to a services-oriented architecture (SOA) delivering platform-as-a-service (PaaS), migration of Mint.com to AWS, development of Quicken mobile (iOS & Android) applications, accessible QuickBooks (for people with disabilities), "Mobile First" & Agile organizational change management programs, and Quality Leadership community.

Previously, Lori served as VP Engineering for Achieva, a Silicon Valley education software startup, dedicated to improving college entrance options for high school students.  Attracting top engineering talent, Lori’s team built a heuristic SAT test engine and Learning Management System for the rapid production of award-winning*, media-rich eLearning products.  As sales surged, business value of Achieva’s technology increased, resulting in a favorable acquisition by Kaplan, the education industry’s largest provider of online courseware.

Prior to the Achieva-Kaplan merger, Lori led a complex turnaround as VP Engineering at Reel.com, the industry’s first eCommerce retailer of entertainment media, movie reviews, videos, and DVD’s.  After rapidly stabilizing the development platforms, her team scaled the eCommerce engine for triple digit growth to over 1 Million online customers. Reel.com was acquired by Hollywood Video.

During Silicon Valley’s software innovation era, Lori served as Director of Engineering for Brøderbund Software, the premier developer of #1 productivity, educational, and entertainment software, with recognizable titles including The Print Shop*, Myst, Living Books*, Kid Pix*, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?*, Williams-Sonoma Guide to Good Cooking, Family Tree Maker, and 3D Home Architect*.  Lori led the highest-performing portfolio of software products and suites, contributing more than 50% of the company’s total $500M revenues.

Lori’s early Software Engineering experience featured hands-on engineering, architecture, design, and development for major publishers such as Brøderbund, Lotus, Addison-Wesley, and Microsoft.

Lori holds both Masters & Bachelors degrees in Computer Science from Boston University.  As a traveling Silicon Valley CIO consultant, she balances her work-life between her Peninsula Office in the San Francisco Bay Area, and her Studio Office in the beautiful mountains of northern Utah where she resides with her husband and four children.

* //CODiE// Awards - Winner of acclaimed SIIA //CODiE// awards for Software Engineering Excellence in Education.

* Career Portfolio - For more information about Lori's industry & leadership experience, please view her Career Portfolio, which is a comprehensive chronology of all her experience with:

Technical Program Management - a list of all technical programs Lori has managed, as well as each program's individual details & metrics
Technical Project Management - a list of all techical projects Lori has managed, or part of a greater strategic program managed by her
Software Products Developed - produced, designed, or engineered by Lori, or under her engineering leadership