Team Q&A: Anne Ensign – Junior Software Developer

From minimizing her carbon emissions to envisioning a better path forward with demand forecasting, Junior Developer Anne Ensign wants to help make the natural world a little better. Join us in welcoming Anne to the Virtual Peaker team!

How did your previous life prepare you for Virtual Peaker?

In more ways than I can count! Before I got into software development, I was an Operations Director for an art department and planned special community events. My operations management background trained me to look at our programs through a business lens, while the event management side trained me to constantly think about the participants and their experience. 

I very quickly learned that it didn’t matter as much what I thought about a program or event, it mattered what the people it was meant for thought. That means asking for feedback constantly and making it a habit between you and those you work with the most.

These are crucial in software development, too. When building out new features, I plan ahead as much as possible and I keep in mind the scale of the project, who will be using it, and what I can do to give them the best possible experience.

Tell us about your role at Virtual Peaker.

I’m a Junior Developer on the demand forecasting team, which develops the Envision Suite. Envision uses machine learning (ML) implementation, created by our brilliant research and development team, to display energy data and predictions clearly, and meaningfully.

My job is to take the personalized ML data from their cozy home in our database and make them seen on your screen. I have worked on enhancing demand forecasting features that already exist in our software, and I am currently working on new features and functionality.

Our Envision Suite has some of the best features available in our app and has the largest money-saving potential for utility companies that can help them cut carbon emissions, lower energy costs, and strengthen the grid. I also have the opportunity to further my knowledge and skills in ML Operations. I am thrilled to be part of this team!

How do you personally engage in sustainability efforts?

Our family recycles and has eliminated all meat aside from fish from our diet since 2015. My wife and I work from home, which cuts back on carbon emissions. All outdoor lighting is solar-powered. We are also Audubon members and supporters.

Our biggest plans are in the works- we recently bought a house with 1.2 acres. Several hundred feet of our property are wooded, which we’re preserving for the deer, raccoons, opossums, and several species of birds. We still have plenty of room for a full vegetable garden and composting area to start in the spring.

What can you tell us about yourself?

I love to learn and try new things. I’m happiest when I’m hiking or just being in nature. I go out of my way to take bugs outside instead of squishing them (I got a bug grabber tool on Amazon and can’t recommend it enough!). My family is the most important thing in my life. I am very grateful to be a part of this company that shares my values in measurable, meaningful ways.