Vasken Hauri
Vasken joined 10up in February of 2013 with over 10 years of experience working in technology in both the public and private sectors. Before becoming a WordPress developer in 2009, Vasken worked at Plymouth State University in several roles ranging from desktop support to systems administration, and occasionally, adjunct faculty member.
In November of 2010, Vasken joined GigaOM, a leading technology news and research online publication, as a WordPress developer working remotely from New Hampshire. Upon moving to the Bay Area in mid-2012, he assumed the role of a team leader within GigaOM’s rapidly growing product development group, a position he held until joining the team at 10up in February of 2013.
Vasken enjoys creating natural, consistent user experiences that enhance and promote interactivity through simplicity. As a developer, one of Vasken’s strengths is his ability to communicate highly technical concepts in a clear, non-technical way in order to build understanding between various project stakeholders. This, along with significant experience across several technology sectors, has allowed him to engineer successful projects within organizations ranging from small, independent businesses to public universities to online publications with millions of unique visitors each month.
A strong believer in open source technologies, Vasken has spoken and hosted panels at numerous WordCamp, NERCOMP, and EDUCAUSE events, on subjects ranging from Green Computing to WordPress-based centralized authentication systems. He currently holds a Bachelor of Arts in German Studies from Haverford College and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from Plymouth State University, where he was also an adjunct faculty member in the Computer Science and Languages and Linguistics Departments.
When he’s not testing cache performance or planning projects, Vasken enjoys spending time with his wife, hiking with his dogs in the Yosemite area, and as a recent California transplant, is once again trying to find a good group of musicians to jam with in yet another new town.
WordCamp Session Title
JS APIs, PHP APIs, Oh My!
Why Is This Important?
As WordPress matures into a full-fledged CMS, it’s important to present it in a way that will be familiar to experienced developers who might not have already used WordPress (or maybe who used it years ago, when it was a very different piece of software).
How Did You Discover WordPress?
I was introduced to WordPress by some work colleagues who were using it for their blogs back in 2007, and I’ve been hooked ever since!
How Do You Use WordPress?
I work with WordPress in my professional life every day as the VP of Engineering at 10up, a leading WordPress design and development agency. I’ve used WordPress personally to set up sites for family and friends.
How Has WordPress Impacted You?
I can’t imagine how different my life or career would be without WordPress. It’s been a critical part of my life and how I’ve paid the bills for almost 10 years at this point!
What Do You Do When Not Working?
My wife and I recently moved to Mariposa, CA, near Yosemite National Park. We’ve been slowly building up a full farm, with goats, chickens, and now, donkeys over the past year!
What Is Your Favorite Candy?
Chocolate!