Manager of Global Support, Americas East
Matt Farineau
I'm a Manager of Global Support in the Americas East region, living and working in Boston. I've spent the last 13 years working in the web industry and absolutely love it. During that time, I discovered a love for open source software when I was introduced to Drupal and the Drupal community. I found my way to Acquia in 2015 and am grateful every day that I get to work for a company I believe in, with people I respect, doing what I love.
I have a Bachelor of Science degree in computer graphics and a Master's degree from Harvard Extension School in Digital Media Arts and Instructional Design. I'm also passionate about education and lifelong learning.
Experience
Acquia
Global Support Manager, Americas East
Dates Employed: May 2020 - present
As Global Support Manager for Americas East, I have an international team of 17 direct reports spread across three countries.
I have a number of years of experience working in customer support, and I see many similarities in management. My team are my customers now, and my role is to support them as they create excellent customer experiences through their interactions with Acquia customers.
Acquia
Support Engineer & Senior Support Engineer
Dates Employed: December 2015 – May 2020
When I was introduced to Drupal while working as a Web Developer at Harvard, it became clear to me how powerful open source software, and Drupal specifically, can be. From that point on, I made it a goal to work at Acquia. That goal was accomplished when I was hired to be a Support Engineer in December 2015. I was promoted to Senior Support Engineer in May of 2018.
What I loved about this role was being able to help so many people on a daily bases. No two problems I worked on were ever the same, and because of that no two days were ever the same. This role also gave me the opportunity to work on some amazing websites of vastly different scale and complexity.
Harvard University
Web Developer
Dates Employed: Oct 2009 – Dec 2015
Location: Cambridge, MA
- Build and maintain websites for the Campus Services department
- Maintain knowledge of industry standard software and design techniques
New Media Design and Hosting
Web Designer
Dates Employed: Jun 2007 – Oct 2009
- I started this company as a way to change my career focus to web development
- Primary tasks: customer acquisition, budget management, contract negotiation, web development, site maintenance
Paragon Management Associates, Inc.
Assistant Event Coordinator
Dates Employed: Jan 2007 – Apr 2008
- Negotiation of contracts for meetings at locations around the country
- Setup and run AV equipment at seminars for 25 to 400 doctors and clinical staff
- Update and maintain company website
Education
Much like my career trajectory, my education experience is diverse and provides me with a lot of context. I started my undergraduate education in Springfield College as a Biotechnology Major. After being introduced to Photoshop, I realized I had a passion for art and technology. This led to a shift to a B.S. in Computer Graphics, and later a Master of Liberal Arts in Digital Media and Instructional Design.
Harvard University Extension School
Digital Media Arts and Instructional Design
Dates attended: 2010 – 2015
Awards:
- Dean's List Academic Achievement Award
Courses included:
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Engineering Innovation with Information Technology
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Screen-Based, Physical Computing
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Understanding and Developing Interactive Media
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User Experience Engineering
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Web Content Management Systems
Thesis:
Nov 2015 Harvard Division of Continuing Education
Arduino-Based Small Scale Electric Brewing System
Abstract: The goal of this project is to create a small-scale, low cost, electric home brewing system that allows a user to more easily brew large (5 gallon) batches of beer in an enclosed space. This is accomplished by using an Arduino microcontroller in conjunction with a Yun WiFi shield to host a local website which allows a user to enter a temperature into the system via their phone, tablet, or computer. This data is then passed from a website running on the Yun shield to the Arduino sketch which runs a check against the current temperature reported by a thermometer installed in the brewing kettle and switches a heating element on or off depending on the goal temperature set by the user.
This process is meant to be a more precise method of temperature control that allows the user to brew higher ABV beer than other common homebrew setups and will require less of the user's time in terms of monitoring temperature.
Data taken from brewing several batches using the completed brew kettle does suggest that more precise control of temperature increases the efficiency of saccharification during a mash phase, and thus increases alcohol by volume in the final product.
Sppringfield College
Computer Graphics
Dates attended: 2001 – 2005
Activities and Societies:
- Computer Graphics Club
- Varsity Gymnastics
Notable Achievements:
- Art featured on Springfield College recruiting CD for Computer Graphics major as well as on Computer Graphics department website
- Commissioned to design Logos for national gymnastics competition which appeared on retail items (such as t-shirts) and was the backdrop for the televised broadcast of the event
Saint John's
High School
Saint John's is a private, all boys high school in Shrewsbury, MA. I recognize that attending such a high school was a tremendous opportunity and a privilege. The education I received at St. John's helped spark my love of learning.
Licenses & Certifications
Sumo Logic
Fundamentals
Issued: June 2019
Credential ID: ec0f-232c-348d-3258
Sumo Logic
Security Analytics
Issued: June 2019
Credential ID: 3a33-c1af-9b04-fa2f