Welcome Stef, Duane, Chris and Robbie!

Stef Hogan – Product Lead

Stef Hogan is a product and engineering leader who has spent her career at the intersection of product, technology, and team operations. Before Slingshot, she served as Director of Engineering and Product Operations at a payments company, leading work across shopper experiences, authentication, and cloud migration. She also became a go-to voice on AI enablement, helping teams apply AI to real product and operational challenges. Outside her day job, she stays active in Louisville’s AI and builder community, creating spaces to experiment, learn, and turn emerging tech into useful solutions.

We hired Stef because she brings a rare mix: strategic product thinking, technical fluency, delivery discipline, builder energy, and a deep curiosity about where AI can create real-world value.

Outside of work, Stef is newly married, a proud super aunt, a devoted Michigan fan, and completely obsessed with her miniature schnauzer, Woodson, and her pit mix, Loki. Family, the outdoors, sports, volunteering, coaching basketball, and meditation all fill her time. Stef is a big kid in the best sense: she loves kids, believes in curiosity and play, and holds onto the wonder that makes the world feel full of possibility.

Duane Sears – Data Discovery Lead

Duane joins Slingshot as a Data Discovery Lead with over a decade of experience in product, UX, and business analysis in logistics, enterprise software, and AI-driven products. He spent more than ten years at UPS, rising from Industrial Engineer to Lead UX Designer, leading design teams for UPS Airline, Worldport, and Transportation Systems. Most recently, he was a Product Manager at an enterprise data software company, focusing on data quality, governance, and low-code platform modules.

We brought Duane on to lead a major data discovery effort, the kind of work that lives at the intersection of business, data, and people. He’s the person who asks the uncomfortable “but why do you actually need that” questions and walks away with requirements that hold up. He’s spent his career translating “what people say they want” into “what the business actually needs.”

Ask whether he’s a big kid or a daredevil, and the honest answer leans heavily toward big kid, with a hint of daredevil mixed in. He’s got a hands-on, figure-it-out-myself streak, which is either the big kid refusing to grow up or the daredevil refusing to back down. We’re calling it 80/20 in favor of big kid, with the daredevil 20% reserved for whatever project he’s convinced himself he can handle without reading the instructions first.

Chris Chandler – Senior Developer

Chris Chandler has been building software since the DOS days, evolving through Windows, internet, cloud, and AI. He’s worked across the stack, most recently leading healthcare tech engineering teams where uptime is critical. Before Slingshot, he helped teams deliver complex systems while staying hands-on with code. He also completed a postgraduate AI and machine learning program and enjoys applying that knowledge practically.

Chris turns messy real-world problems into working solutions. He’s led distributed teams, modernized aging systems everyone else was afraid to touch, and helped organizations make smarter technical decisions without overcomplicating things. We brought Chris on because he pairs that leadership range with a builder’s instinct: even after years running teams, he still gets into the details to see how things actually work.

Ask Chris whether he’s a big kid or a daredevil, and he’ll pick big kid every time. He builds things just because they’re fun, whether that’s writing retro-style video games, experimenting with AI, or tinkering with something new to see what it can do. For him, curiosity isn’t a phase; it’s how he’s wired.

Robbie Valdez – UX/UI Designer

Robbie is a multidisciplinary designer specializing in web design, UI/UX, marketing, and branding, creating digital experiences that look great, communicate clearly, and strengthen brand identity. After earning his Web Development degree, he initially supported the automotive industry, then took on freelance and consulting work locally. He spent two years on web and marketing projects before a five-year UI/UX role supporting clients in manufacturing, logistics, and a tattoo shop.

We brought Robbie on because he pairs that range with genuine versatility: someone who can move between software applications, web, and marketing without losing sight of the user or the brand. He blends thoughtful, user-centered design with a strong work ethic and a collaborator’s instinct, bringing curiosity, teamwork, and sharp problem-solving to everything he creates.

Ask Robbie whether he’s a big kid or a daredevil, and he’ll tell you daredevil. He’s the type to bet on himself, whether that meant leaving a steady path to build his own client base or diving into an unfamiliar project just to see what he can pull off.