Ara T. Howard (founder and current board member) is an earliest adopter, minimalist architect, and prolific problem solver.
His background includes designing large-scale 24x7 satellite processing systems, studying greenhouse gas emissions, analyzing poverty and population growth from space, building lean technology stressing startups, and contributing countless solutions to budding developers.
Ara's contributions to the Open Source Initiative span languages and domains, but the over 100 RubyGems he has authored are closest to his heart. Ara was recently recognized as a Ruby Hero during the 2014 RailsConf ceremony and enjoys giving back to the coding culture that formed him whenever possible.
His work, and opinions, can be mined on the intertubes by googling 'ara.t.howard', but might better be discussed in person on an excursion high above the rocky mountain treeline, where he, his wife Jennifer, children Axel and Nova, and Border Collies Ca$h and Olive, do their finest work.