About Me
Hey there! I'm John Reyes, originally from a wholesome small football town in Texas and now navigating the hustle and bustle of a big city alongside my two incredible kids and the love of my life.
Journey:
I've worn many hats over the years – from an attorney, two-time entrepreneur, college administrator, to a high school algebra teacher. Currently, I'm rocking it as a Fortune 500 business executive, leading as the Director of Strategy Analytics for USAA's multi-billion dollar credit card portfolio.
Passions:
My heart beats for data and software engineering. I dipped my toes into coding back in 2008, attempting to create a video game in C++. The journey led me to Python and data science, and the rest is history. I've mastered the art of architecting cloud computing solutions, certified in AWS, deeply into GCP, and exploring the wonders of Firebase.
Beyond the Desk:
When not crunching numbers, you'll find me in the kitchen, whipping up wholesome and healthy delights – my family's favorite pastime. Freshly baked whole wheat bread is my latest obsession. Former soccer enthusiast turned disc golf aficionado, I'm on a mission to qualify for PDGA worlds. I balance intensity with the whimsical world of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, and family board games.
Life Philosophy:
I live by the belief that learning is limitless. I approach challenges with confidence, knowing I can learn and synthesize anything. Coaching others to achieve their dreams is a passion of mine. The best way to learn? Dive in, where your performance matters.
Blog Corner:
My blog is a space where I share insights from my continuous learning journey, along with snippets of what I'm building and cooking. Dive in, enjoy, and find inspiration for your own adventures.
Join me on this journey of curiosity, growth, and the occasional delicious recipe!
Resume
July 2020 - Present
Director - Business Strategy Analytics – Credit Card
USAA Federal Savings Bank San Antonio, TX
- Leader and Builder of High Performing Teams - Recruited a team of analysts who produced $65M+ in cost savings and $150M+ in incremental revenue
- Cloud Data Systems Architect and Developer - Architected a cloud data system for daily ingestion of 5M credit card statement records replacing an on-premises database with a REST API which resolved database capacity issues and enabled real-time uses cases across the enterprise the most critical of which closed a major regulatory gap
- Machine Learning Model and System Expert - Model Owner or Developer for 12 ML models providing insight into customer behaviors and wallets. Models drove our marketing helping us target the most profitable and desirable customers with personalization via segmentation. All models were fully automated and passed rigorous reviews and audits from regulators and internal auditors.
- Data Privacy and Governance Expert - Served as the Information Steward and Information Executive for all credit card data. Synthesized data privacy law and data engineering/architecting skills to address novel requirements across billions of records and terabytes of data
- Complex Problem-Solver - applied data, critical-thinking, and communication skills to:
- ETL historical, external, and active internal data to calculate legal damages and back-interest return for 500K accounts totalling >$40M and then automate the check-cutting and mailing
- Implement MLOps integrating GitLab, Sagemaker, and Snowflake allowing us to use ML in marketing again by creating an auditable model pipeline
- Automate data analysis workflows using Python providing unparalleled insight into business trends and recent performance that were crucial to Return-To-Market and Product Launch Campaigns that resulted in over 350K new products sold in our first year back in market
April 2018 - June 2020
Lead Business Strategy Analyst – Credit Card
- Data Strategy Developer and Evangelist - Created Portfolio Optimization Strategy to attack Portfolio imbalances and create long-term business value, the decision framework continues to drive profitable onboarding and account management
- Lean Process Redesigner - Led the redesign of a process for creating critical risk metrics resulting in 90% cycle time savings reducing average processing time from 180+ days to <1 week
- Intrapreneur - Launched the embedded analyst role, first engagement yielded a $2M Cost Saving from a highly-accurate, automated ML forecast of core savings behavior
May 2017 - March 2018
Lead Business Strategy Analyst Credit Card
- Data Strategy Developer and Evangelist - Created Portfolio Optimization Strategy to attack Portfolio imbalances and create long-term business value, the decision framework continues to drive profitable onboarding and account management
- Lean Process Redesigner - Led the redesign of a process for creating critical risk metrics resulting in 90% cycle time savings reducing average processing time from 180+ days to <1 week
- Intrapreneur - Launched the embedded analyst role, first engagement yielded a $2M Cost Saving from a highly-accurate, automated ML forecast of core savings behavior
February 2016 - May 2017
Business Strategy and Planning Director, Bank Board of Directors
- Fortune 100 Executive Presence - Wrangled all material presented to the Bank Board of Directors and conducted key Governance events notably: onboarding directors to include Chairman; transitioning General Counsel and Financial Officer, and Chief Executive.
- Strategy Communicator - Produced the agendas, content, and messaging for annual strategy conferences for the Bank President and Chief Strategy Officer.
June 2015 - February 2016
Chief of Staff - Bank Data and Analytics
- Coordinated efforts of team of 18 executives to develop a staffing strategy for data and analytics
- Coordinated people and information to compose the 2016 Bank Data and Analytics Capital Plan.
- Negotiated and organized the transition of Bank Analytics to modern platforms and architecture in collaboration with Bank and Enterprise IT.
May 2014 - August 2014
Data Scientist Research and Development Intern
Elevate, Inc. (formerly Think Finance, Inc.) San Diego, CA
- Software and Machine Learning Developer - Developed Python tooling and analytical framework for real-time credit and fraud analysis; Implemented testing framework, style, and documentation standards for all tools in the framework. Drove adoption of first ML models for underwriting with non-Bureau data.
January 2008 - August 2009
Wolff Center for Entrepreneurship University of Houston Houston, TX
Program Director
- Collegiate Administrator - Managed day-to-day operations including marketing, finance, and staffing of a 12-person staff developed SOP to increase efficiency and quality: retained 3 professors, recruited a top-caliber team, and achieved #1 undergraduate program national ranking.
Education
May 2013 - May 2015
Darden School of Business University of Virginia Charlottesville, VA
Master of Business Administration
- Faculty Nominated Tutor; Marketing, Strategy
- President; Hispanic American Network at Darden
- Winner of Startup Pitch Competition
December 2011 - May 2013
Baylor Law School Waco, TX
Juris Doctorate - Business Transactions
- Member of Barristers Society - Recognition for excellence in legal writing, oration, and advocacy
August 2006 - August 2008
University of Houston - Clear Lake Clear Lake, TX
B.A. - Mathematics
May 2002 - May 2004
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, MA
Bachelors - Materials Sci. Engineering and Business Management (Unfinished)
Skills
Code
As a full-stack developer, I thrive in crafting end-to-end solutions. I weave seamless experiences from server to client, ensuring a holistic approach to application development.
Data Science
I navigate the entire model lifecycle with finesse. From meticulous planning and preparation to rigorous training, testing, deployment, monitoring, and continuous refinement, I am dedicated to optimizing the performance and impact of machine learning models.
Cloud Native
With an ardent love for the cloud, I specialize in developing automated systems. Leveraging the cloud's scalability and versatility, I architect solutions that elevate performance, efficiency, and reliability.
Strategy & Operations
I amplify my expertise through Strategyzer and Lean Startup principles. I leverage frameworks to drive innovation, enhance operational efficiency, and achieve strategic goals.
Passions
Cooking
I find joy in bringing more whole foods and homemade dishes to my family's table.
Explore my favorite recipes and culinary adventures on my blog.
Sports
Former soccer player turned soccer fan. As I have gotten older, and the Astros have gotten better, I have become a baseball fan too. Currently, I'm on a journey to qualify for PDGA World Championships in disc golf.
Follow my disc golf journey and discover tips on my disc golf blog.
Arts and Entertainment
Passionate about music, especially my favorite bands. An avid fan of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Star Wars.
Discover my collection of recommended books, and join me for board game nights with friends and family.
Elevating ideas with Vue, Nuxt, and TailwindCSS. Unleashing insights through content on Nuxt-powered blog. Hosted on GCP, fueled by custom CI/CD via GitHub Actions.