Responsible AI concepts
Second Look · Talk to Me · Milk Bar
Human-centered concepts spanning fair-chance recruiting, mental-health support, and sensory-safe spaces—grounded in dignity, access, and ethical technology.
New York City · Technology + human possibility
Makeda Davis
I’m Makeda Davis—a software and reliability engineer, builder, and advocate. I notice what doesn’t add up, figure out why, and find a way to fix it.
10+years across operations, people, and technology
4original songs released with AI-assisted workflows
$100K+annual infrastructure and observability savings influenced
About me
I notice. I figure it out. I follow through.
I’m Makeda. I’m the person who notices what doesn’t add up, figures out why, and finds a way to fix it, even when I’ve never solved that kind of problem before.
I’ve spent 4+ years in engineering, most recently as a Site Reliability Engineer at Checkr and before that as a Software Engineer at Lob. Whether I’m leading an effort or doing the groundwork, my goal stays the same: solve the problem, support my team, and deliver.
What I bring
👉🏾 I catch problems early. Gaps in alerts, configs that don’t match, processes that quietly break. I see them, and I follow them to the root cause.
👉🏾 I figure it out. New tool, new system, no documentation? I learn fast and get it working.
👉🏾 I’m comfortable being uncomfortable. Incidents, unfamiliar systems, problems nobody owns. That’s where I grow, so I lean in.
👉🏾 I lift the people around me. A strong team delivers more than any one person, so I share what I learn and show up for my teammates.
Results and perspective
👉🏾 I deliver results. At Checkr, I helped reduce monthly Datadog spending from approximately $157,000 to $120,000 and brought unhealthy monitors down from roughly 330 to fewer than 99.
I’ve worked hands-on with Datadog, Kubernetes, AWS, Terraform, GitLab CI/CD, ArgoCD, Incident.io, and Python.
Grit and perseverance shape everything I do, inside tech and out. I serve on the board of Hour Children, speak on fair chance hiring and prison education reform, and I’m a published author and recording artist (Kē).
If you’re looking for someone who’ll take ownership, support the team, and see the work through, let’s connect.
Selected work
Technology designed for real life.
My work meets people where they are: learning new tools, rebuilding after disruption, finding opportunity, or simply trying to be understood.
Reentry platform
HOME RUN
A practical information hub supporting people returning home and navigating life transitions—built from lived expertise, research, and care.
Visit projectYouth + AI literacy
The Takeover / AIGHt
A youth-centered learning ecosystem that makes AI, technology, and entrepreneurship feel accessible, culturally relevant, and actionable.
ExplorePrivacy-first product
QRtesy
A QR and NFC contact experience designed to help people connect without unnecessarily exposing personal information.
Visit QRtesyTechnical impact
Reliability is a people practice.
At Checkr and across engineering roles, I brought together observability, automation, incident response, and developer experience to make complex systems clearer and more dependable.
$100K+in annual infrastructure and observability savings influenced through cost optimization.
70%reduction in unhealthy and non-actionable monitors.
1→manyself-service incident workflows enabled through the PagerDuty-to-Incident.io migration.
AWSKubernetesTerraformDatadogIncident.ioPythonJavaScriptGitLab CI/CDLinuxLLM workflows
I speak where technology, second chances, education, and possibility meet.
Speaking + advocacy
From conference stages and classrooms to corporate conversations, I translate complex systems into language people can use. My talks draw on engineering leadership, AI experimentation, higher education, reentry, and the power of being seen for your skills—not only your past.
AI literacyFair-chance hiringWomen in technologyHigher educationResilience + reinvention
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WE Are: Emergent Works
My pathway into technology
Story, impact, and change
Community-centered conversation
STEM access and opportunity
Speaking and advocacy
Stand Up, Speak Out · 2019
Early public-speaking work at Marymount Manhattan College
Fair-Chance Hiring · Hudson Link
Workshop facilitation and employment-readiness advocacy
Featured + recognized
Stories, profiles, and public work.
A selection of independent coverage and organizational recognition.
Marie ClaireView collaboration ↗
Award · Galvanize / Hack ReactorAnnouncement ↗
Sponsored recognitionSelected participant
FICGN × Broadway Advocacy CoalitionPreviously featured by Checkr.orgPortfolio record
KIBOU
One Former Inmate’s First Year Out
Read ↗ Creative collaboration · Kē × Angela RenéeThe Conversation
Contributed spoken word, music, and creative energy to Angela Simmons’ nine-track debut music project, released under her artist name Angela Renée.
We Stand Together Scholarship Recipient
Selected as one of four Spring 2021 recipients for a full-tuition Hack Reactor Software Engineering Immersive scholarship and prep program.
Legacy Projects · Healing the Leaders Resort
Received sponsorship to participate in a restorative experience created to support, renew, and invest in leaders advancing community change.
Drop the Labels: Person-First Language PSA · Featured Talent and Project Contributor
Watch ↗ Hudson Link for Higher Education in PrisonFair-Chance Workshop Facilitator · Curriculum and Workbook Creator
View ↗ Columbia UniversityThe Business Case for Second Chance Employment
Explore ↗Building a Fairer Future Through Code
A profile of my path from employment barriers after incarceration to software engineering and site reliability—and how fair-chance hiring transformed my career, confidence, and ability to advocate for others. The original Checkr.org page is no longer available.
Every KIBOU Purchase Helps Rebuild Mothers’ Lives
Read ↗ STEM-OPSSpeaker · 2022 STEM-OPS Annual Convening, St. Louis
View ↗ CheckrCelebrating Black History Month 2023
Read ↗ Hour ChildrenThe First Year Out
Read ↗ LeadershipHour Children Board of Directors
View ↗Selected experience
A career built across systems.
Technology is one chapter in a longer record of making organizations work better—through operations, people, communication, and care.
2026–present
Digital Literacy Instructor · Emergent Works
Contract instruction helping learners build confidence and practical fluency with digital tools.
2022–2026
Site Reliability Engineer I & II · Checkr
Observability, cloud reliability, incident response, automation, infrastructure as code, and internal AI experimentation.
2022
Software Engineer, Developer Experience · Lob
Improved developer workflows and contributed to a more usable, reliable engineering platform.
2019–2022
HR + Staffing Operations · CABS Home Health Care / Midway Nursing Home
Coordinated high-volume staffing, onboarding, compliance, and employee support across healthcare environments.
Community interpretation
Justice Reflected · Battery Park City Authority
Leading public engagement around art exploring justice, injustice, freedom, incarceration, and humanity.
Ongoing
Founder, consultant, facilitator, board member, and ambassador
Founder of ProseItAin’tSo; consultant with EarthBloom Consulting; Administrative and Bike Ambassador with Project MOVER; Battery Park City Authority guide; Hour Children board member; and contractual Fair Chance Ambassador with Hudson Link, where I develop and facilitate employment-readiness workshops and participant workbooks.
Creative practice
Words, music, and technology belong in the same room.
As Kē, I write genre-fluid R&B, soul, and blues rooted in honest storytelling. I use AI-assisted production workflows with a clear creative principle: the technology can extend the process, but the story and artistic direction remain human.
In 2026, I collaborated with Angela Simmons—performing as Angela Renée—on her nine-track debut music project, The Conversation, contributing spoken word, music, and creative energy. I’m also the author of Some Good Kids and a poet.
Creative inquiriesLet’s build what comes next.
I’m available for AI literacy and technology roles, consulting, panels, keynotes, workshops, and mission-aligned collaborations.