Mark Ritchey
About Mark Ritchey
Mark Ritchey is a Principal Solutions Engineer at American Electric Power, specializing in testing automation and DevOps practices. He has a diverse background in music education and information systems, with extensive experience in software development and project management.
Work at American Electric Power
Mark Ritchey serves as a Principal Solutions Engineer at American Electric Power, a position he has held since 2019. In this role, he focuses on software development projects, utilizing testing automation tools such as Selenium. His responsibilities include leveraging his expertise in DevOps and CI/CD tools, which encompass GitHub, Jenkins, Artifactory, and GitHub Actions. Ritchey operates within the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area, contributing to the company's technological advancements.
Education and Expertise
Mark Ritchey has a diverse educational background. He earned a Bachelor of Music in Music Education with a focus on Percussion from Capital University, studying there from 2004 to 2007. Prior to this, he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration in Management Information Systems from Ohio University, where he studied from 1996 to 2000. His expertise spans various technical areas, including web services technologies like Shadow/Rocket Data Studio and SOAP/XML, as well as programming languages such as COBOL, CICS, DB2/SQL, JCL, Install/1, Java, C#, and Groovy.
Background in Education
Before transitioning into the technology sector, Mark Ritchey worked in education as the Assistant Band Director and Percussion Instructor at Licking Heights High School in Pataskala, Ohio. He held this position for eight years, from 2000 to 2008. This experience in music education provided him with a strong foundation in leadership and teamwork, skills that he later applied in his technical roles.
Professional Roles and Experience
Throughout his career, Mark Ritchey has held various roles that showcase his technical and leadership capabilities. He has served as a Technical Product Owner, IT Software Developer Lead, and Interim Scrum Master. These positions have allowed him to develop a comprehensive understanding of software development processes and team dynamics, enhancing his effectiveness in his current role at American Electric Power.