Hi, I'm Esther.
Software engineer turned project manager.

Currently pursuing my MBA in Project Management at Indiana Institute of Technology, I'm applying that foundation hands-on as a Construction Project Management Intern with ACE EPIC, collaborating with the National Park Service. With years of experience leading cross-functional teams at Palo Alto Networks and managing full product lifecycles, I bring both the technical fluency and the leadership mindset to move projects from idea to impact.

Esther
Cypress, TX · Open to remote
About

A multidisciplinary builder.

Engineer by training, project manager by craft, athlete and soldier by formation. I love getting messy problems into shape and shipping the result with a team that trusts each other.

I started in Computer Engineering at Claflin University, where I balanced full-time engineering coursework with life as a D1/D2 scholarship student-athlete — a season of life that shaped how I think about discipline, training, and team chemistry.

At Palo Alto Networks, I've spent 4+ years shipping SD-WAN features end-to-end: scoping with product, building with engineering, and shepherding releases through QA. Along the way I picked up a stint at a blockchain startup, served as a U.S. Army Supply Clerk, and started my MBA in Project Management at Indiana Tech.

Today I'm focused on the intersection of technical fluency and program leadership — the skillset I'm sharpening through my current Construction Project Management internship and graduate coursework.

Lead with clarity

I translate fuzzy business asks into clear plans — owning timelines, dependencies, and the hard tradeoffs.

Build with the team

Cross-functional alignment is the work. I bridge engineering, product, and stakeholders so nobody is guessing.

Ship, then iterate

Momentum compounds. I prefer small, well-scoped releases over heroic launches that slip.

Stay curious

From RUST and React to logistics and the MBA — I learn fast and bring frameworks across disciplines.

Experience

Roles that shaped how I lead.

From sprint planning at Palo Alto Networks to logistics in the U.S. Army — every role added a new tool to the kit.

  1. Palo Alto Networks

    Current

    Software Engineer

    Feb 2022 – Present

    Agile / Scrum
    Cross-functional
    Mentorship
    SD-WAN

    I ship SD-WAN product features end-to-end — owning timelines from requirements through delivery, leading backend feature planning, and serving as the technical bridge between engineering and product. Cross-functional alignment through Agile and Scrum is where most of my days live.

    I also mentor incoming interns and junior engineers, and pushed performance work that reduced incident response time and sharpened the user experience.

  2. U.S. Army

    Supply Clerk

    Sep 2024 – Nov 2025

    Logistics
    Inventory
    Training

    As a Supply Clerk I was accountable for high-value equipment across multiple operations in a high-tempo environment — coordinating requisitions, audits, and logistical support across units. I rolled out digital tracking that tightened reconciliation timelines and made the supply room a lot less of a mystery.

    The role sharpened my attention to detail, taught me to lead calmly under pressure, and gave me the habit of leaving every process better than I found it.

  3. ULEDGER

    Software Engineer

    Aug 2022 – Dec 2022

    RUST
    Blockchain
    LibP2P

    At ULEDGER I architected cryptographic systems for blockchain data verification in RUST and tracked deliverables for peer-to-peer communication components built on LibP2P. Most of my time went to a system-wide refactoring initiative aimed at unblocking development velocity.

    I documented the codebase, R&D findings, and deployment procedures so the next engineer wouldn't have to rediscover what I'd already learned.

Beyond work

The full picture.

The best leaders are curious, well-rounded humans first — I'm always working on both.

Wife
Mom of Two
Nigerian
Runner
Ghibli Fan

Life outside of work is just as full as my project plans. I'm a wife and mom of two boys — my greatest and most rewarding team. Originally from Nigeria, I've been running since I was 6 years old, a passion that carried me through competing as a D2 athlete at Claflin University and D1 at Indiana State University. When I'm not chasing goals or boys around the house, you'll find me lost in a Ghibli film, strumming my ukulele, roller skating, or out on a soccer field soaking up the game I love.

Esther on the starting line at an indoor track meet
D1 & D2 Scholarship Athlete

Runner. Competitor. Student-Athlete.

Claflin University (D2) · Indiana State University (D1)

I've been running since I was 6 — and that passion carried me all the way to competing at both the Division II and Division I levels. The track taught me discipline, resilience, and how to perform under pressure. Those aren't just athletic lessons. They're the same ones I bring to every standup, every deadline, and every high-stakes delivery.

Esther at the race start

Race start

Esther with her finisher medal

Finish line

Running since

Age 6

Competed at

D1 · D2 level

Esther Burnett, U.S. Army
U.S. Army Veteran

Supply Clerk · U.S. Army

Sep 2024 – Nov 2025

Serving in the Army meant being accountable for high-value equipment across multiple operations in a high-tempo environment — coordinating requisitions, audits, and logistical support across units. I rolled out digital tracking that tightened reconciliation timelines and made the supply room a lot less of a mystery.

The role sharpened my attention to detail, taught me to lead calmly under pressure, and gave me the habit of leaving every process better than I found it.

Focus

Logistics & Readiness

Standard

Mission-ready accountability

When I'm off the clock

🎬

Studio Ghibli

Animation nerd at heart

🎸

Ukulele

Strumming in the margins

⛸️

Roller Skating

Best stress relief

⚽

Soccer

Always on a field somewhere

Education

Engineering foundations, business mindset.

Indiana Institute of Technology

In progress

Fort Wayne, IN · Jul 2025 – Present

Master of Business Administration

Project Management Concentration

Claflin University

Orangeburg, SC · Aug 2019 – Dec 2022

B.S. in Computer Engineering

D1/D2 Scholarship Student-Athlete
Chi Alpha Sigma
NSBE
Global Student Organization
Skills & Toolkit

Tools I reach for, day in and day out.

A mix of project management, full-stack engineering, and the collaboration glue that makes them all work together.

Project Management

Jira
Microsoft Projects
Asana
Confluence
Notion
Office 365
SDLC
Agile / Scrum

Languages

JavaScript
TypeScript
Python
Java
C#
RUST
HTML
CSS / SCSS

Frameworks

React.js
React Native
Redux
React Context API
Node.js
Express.js
JSS
jQuery

Developer Tools

Git / GitLab
VS Code
Figma
Docker
Jenkins
Ubuntu / Linux
VirtualBox
REST APIs
Selected projects

Where I've owned the outcome.

A few projects where I sat at the intersection of product, design, and engineering — not just shipping features, but defining what to build.

Product Manager / UX Designer

GoTrash

A mobile app for smarter waste disposal. Led a team of four as PM — owned the roadmap, ran sprints in Jira, and shipped to test environments via GitHub and Xcode.

Product Management
UX Design
Agile
Figma
iOS

Developer

Outlook Phishing Quiz

An interactive security awareness app that challenges users to spot phishing emails disguised as real Outlook messages. Built to make cybersecurity education hands-on — because reading about phishing isn't the same as catching it in the wild.

React
JavaScript
Security Awareness
UX
Let's connect

Building something great? I'd love to hear about it.

Whether you're hiring a project manager, looking to collaborate, or just want to say hi — I read every message.

Based in Cypress, TX · Open to remote