Dakota Lester

About

Hey There! My name is Dakota!

I am a graduate of the University at Buffalo, with a Bachelor degree in Computer Science.

A Few Fun Facts About Me

I like to think of myself as a free spirit, as someone who "goes with the flow."
I've always been a huge fan of the Adirondacks since I was little. Every year, I would vacation to the beautiful lakes and forests the Adirondacks have to offer.
In my free time, I love to tinker and play video games. Currently my games of choice are Balatro, Overwatch, and Cyberpunk 2077. *subject to change :)
I knew I wanted to go into development in high school through the Project Lead the Way program. My enjoyment of all things digital carried over to college and I've been happy ever since.

Resume

LOC Orchard Park, NY EMAIL lightly5924@gmail.com TEL (716) 342-8873 GH github.com/dakotale WEB dakotale.github.io

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> LOADING PROFILE...

Senior .NET developer with 9+ years building scalable full-stack solutions on Azure. Deep expertise in C#/.NET Core, SQL Server, and ETL pipelines. Proven track record modernizing legacy systems, cutting operational costs, and shipping cloud-native applications in Agile environments. Currently fully remote — seeking senior roles where Microsoft stack depth and Azure DevOps experience drive measurable impact.

Work Experience

Software Developer II

Irth Solutions /// Remote /// July 2022 – Present

Architected Azure DevOps CI/CD pipelines, Git strategies, and VM management — significantly reducing deployment times and improving production reliability.
Delivered full-stack C#/.NET solutions (Webforms, MVC, Core, WinForms), modernizing legacy systems and building scalable REST APIs for internal and external consumers.
Engineered complex SQL Server stored procedures and query optimizations, cutting execution times on high-volume transactional workloads.
Built end-to-end ETL/ELT pipelines with SSIS, SSRS, and SSAS enabling real-time analytics and executive reporting dashboards.
Integrated ESRI ArcGIS and NetTopologySuite to deliver geospatial intelligence features supporting field operations and business decisions.
Collaborated cross-functionally in Agile/Scrum teams — sprint planning, code reviews, and stakeholder documentation.

Software Developer

National Air Cargo Holdings /// Orchard Park, NY /// July 2018 – June 2022

Re-architected airline payroll system from Microsoft Access to SQL Server 2016 — saving hundreds of thousands of dollars annually in processing costs and errors.
Designed ETL solutions and SSIS packages for enterprise data migration and warehousing, improving reliability and processing speed.
Established EDI standards and integrations to meet contractual service and operational agreements with airline partners.
Modernized legacy applications from VS 2005 to 2017. Developed KPI dashboards and SSRS reporting tools for executive visibility.
Automated scheduled workflows with PowerShell and Python. Leveraged Azure IaaS/PaaS, Synapse, and Active Directory for scalable cloud infrastructure.

IT Consultant

Enterprise Infrastructure Services /// Buffalo, NY /// Aug 2015 – June 2018

Enterprise IT support for 20,000+ end users — Active Directory, desktop software, hardware, and domain name infrastructure (IPv4/IPv6/MAC).
Authored process documentation that improved knowledge sharing and streamlined IT operations across teams.

Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

University at Buffalo — CS Dept. /// Buffalo, NY /// Aug 2017 – May 2018

TA for Intro to CS I (~300 students), covering Java, JavaScript, JSON, and algorithms. Held office hours and mentored students through projects and coursework.

Personal Projects

Cloud Storage Server Apr 2026 – May 2026

React /// Node.js /// Claude API

Self-hosted LAN file storage with drag-and-drop uploads, inline media previews, folder organization, real-time search, and tag filtering. Embedded AI assistant powered by the Claude API.

BigBirdBot Jan 2021 – May 2026

C# /// .NET 8 /// Discord.NET /// SQL Server 2022

Feature-rich Discord bot with a full virtual economy, 13 gambling games, Tamagotchi-style pet system (15+ species, breeding), live stock market ticking every 15 min, music playback (YouTube/Spotify/SoundCloud), mini-games, and 100+ slash commands with per-server SQL Server backend.

→ dakotale.github.io/BigBirdBot

dakotale.github.io Dec 2016 – May 2026

HTML /// CSS /// JavaScript

Personal portfolio hosted via GitHub Pages with a retro synthwave aesthetic — CRT scanlines, VT323 terminal typography, fixed-bottom status ticker. Living resume and design playground since college.

→ dakotale.github.io

Skills

Cloud & DevOps

AzureCI/CDDevOpsApp InsightsSynapseDockerLinux

Backend

C#.NET CoreASP.NETREST APIsVB.NETxUnitNUnitEDI

Data & ETL

SQL ServerT-SQLSSISSSRSSSASETL/ELT

Frontend

JavaScriptTypeScriptHTML5CSS

Tools & AI

GitPowerShellPythonCopilotClaude APIAgile

Education

B.A.Sc. Computer Science & Engineering

University at Buffalo

2015 – 2018

B.A.Sc. Computer & Information Sciences

SUNY Polytechnic Institute

2013 – 2015

Volunteer

CyberPatriot Mentor

Air Force Association

Oct 2013 – Apr 2014

CyberPatriot Captain

Air Force Association

Oct 2011 – Apr 2013

Honors

Congress of the U.S. Certificate of Merit

Apr 2013

NY State Assembly Certificate of Merit

Assemblyman Anthony J. Brindisi · Apr 2013

Congress of the U.S. Certificate of Merit

Apr 2012

Projects

Cloud Storage

April 2026 - May 2026

A self-hosted, LAN-accessible file storage server built with React and Node.js. Supports drag-and-drop uploads up to 500 MB, inline preview of images, video, audio, PDFs, and code, and full folder organization that persists even when empty. Files can be tagged and filtered, sorted by date, name, or size, and searched in real-time by filename or tag. Includes a floating AI chat assistant powered by Claude, and binds to the local network so any device on the LAN can reach it directly.

Discord Bot

January 2021 - Present

Using the Discord.NET/C# application library, created an automation bot for Discord to complete a multiple of tasks including; music playback from multiple streaming entities, keyword matching, role/moderation tasks, and server specific commands with a SQL Server 2022 DB backend.

dakotale.github.io

December 2016 - May 2026

A personal portfolio site built with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, styled with a retro synthwave aesthetic featuring CRT scanlines, VT323 terminal typography, and a fixed-bottom status ticker. Sections cover my background, full work history and resume, personal projects, and contact links. The site is hosted via GitHub Pages and has evolved continuously since college as both a living resume and a personal design playground.

University at Buffalo Git Transfer

January 2017 - April 2017

Using Git repositories and Openshift, I transferred sensitive data from an outdated file system of professors, students, faculty, and department’s data to updated repositories (sorted by the client’s request). The files were transferred from a Git repository to run on a pod under the Openshift client.

Schedule Me Android Application

September 2016 - December 2016

This is an android application that solves the issue of groups or co-workers not being able to schedule meetings due to time conflicts. The app links to the user(s) Google Calendars or the user(s) can insert their schedule manually. The app will automatically estimate the time the user(s) in a group are all available and what their location will be at that time. This application also syncs with Google Maps to map the distance between users to find a common meeting place that is convenient for everyone.

University at Buffalo Summer Refresh 2016

June 2016 - September 2016

Throughout the summer break of 2016, I aided in the upgrade to all computer systems to Windows 10 located in public sites (libraries/computer labs) and technical classrooms (classrooms that contain a computer). The upgraded computers through this process was 3,000+. In coordination with the system administrators on this project and SCCM 2012, I refreshed desktops both on site and remotely to finish on a deadline of before Fall Semester.

University at Buffalo Summer Refresh 2015

August 2015 - September 2015

Through my first month working at Enterprise Infrastructure Services, we were responsible for reimaging or refreshing the computer systems either in public sites such as libraries or labs, or technical classrooms (classrooms that contain a computer). The reimaged computers totaled 2,000+, with Windows 7 latest edition at the time with updated software and patches. Working together with the system administrators and use of SCCM, I aided in the refresh process throughout the term.

Contact

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DAKOTA LESTER_