1331 S 51 st Ave
Cicero IL, 60 804
P (630) 362 - 7576
MichaelKappel.com
mike@n s12.com
Michael Kappel, Sr. Software Engineer / Context Engineer
Objective
Senior Software Engineer / Software Architect with 20+ years of experience designing and building scalable, secure, and maintainable applications using ASP.NET Core, C#, TypeScript, EF Core, and SQL Server. Strong background in enterprise architecture, unit testing strategies, performance optimization, and modern AI integrations (OpenAI API, LLM tooling). Known for improving software quality, mentoring developers, and modernizing legacy systems.
Skills
AI Tools for Development & Security Focus: Extensive experience utilizing AI tools like OpenAI API, LM Studio, ChatGPT Codex , and GitHub Copilot to improve development speed while strictly reviewing Ai-assisted code to ensure it meets security standards, follows industry best practices, and remains maintainable and scalable.
Technologies : ASP .net Core , TypeScript, ChatGPT, OpenAI API , LM Studio, JavaScript , Microsoft Graph Api, Blazor, Ajax , Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Model View Controller (MVC) , Razor Pages, XAML, User Profiles, Windows Azure Platform , SQL Azure , jQuery , and Regular Expressions , Gherkin Syntax , NLP
Techniques : Agile software development , Separation of Concerns (SoC) , Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) , Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) , Software design patterns , Anemic vs. Rich Domain Models
Microsoft SQL Server 2000 - 2022 & SQL Azure : Stored Procedures/Views/Functions , Transactions , Joins, Indexes, Recursive CTE , exc...
Microsoft Software: SQL Server Management Studio 2005 -Current , Visual Studio 2003 - Current , DevOps, IIS, Power BI
Professional Associations: Chicago .NET users group (CNUG) , The Professional Association for SQL Server (SQL Pass) , Software Development Community of Chicago
Certifications: CSD (Certified Scrum Developer) , MCP (Microsoft Certified Professional), MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional), MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist), MCPD (Microsoft Certified Professional Developer) , Microsoft Specialist, Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD), Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer (MCSD) MCP Transcript : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/users/michael-kappel/transcript/dloj9cy1qe0yon1?tab=credentials-tab CSD transcript: certification.scrumalliance.org/accounts/395623-michael-kappel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelkappel/
Experience
2 /20 23 – 2 /202 6 Info724 / Insurance 724 Remote
Sr. Software Engineer / Software Architect / Mentor
Architected Frontier AI Operations by deploying autonomous agent workflows using OpenAI and LM Studio APIs, implementing automated legacy-to-modern code translation and NLP-driven semantic search to bridge technical debt gaps.
Rebuilt Dental Insurance Contract Management System in .net Core with C# , TypeScript, and EF Core with Razor Pages .
Created screens & automated unit tests to compare existing claims adjudication to rebuilt version ensuring they produce the same result.
Maintenance and feature development for health insurance app written in VB.net WebFroms with ADO.net and T-SQL
Mentored junior developer to help them learn Uni t Testing, Design Patterns, S.O.L.I.D. principles and understand the importance of Enterprise Software Architecture
Leveraged AI-assisted development tools to accelerate development while maintaining strict code quality and security standards .
Used LM Studio to generate website content with LLMs ( Large Language Models )
Integrated OpenAI API and LM Studio API into software for both content and documentation
Implemented Semantic Search with NLP ( Natural language processing )
Developed automated robust code documentation with OpenAI API to translate Legacy VB6 code and new C# code into human readable explanations.
Created Power BI Apps with reports, data models, DAX, and reporting database
4/2022 – 1/2023 C+R Research Chicago , IL
Sr. Software Engineer
Created file sharing and team collaboration of working files in Microsoft teams though Microsoft Graph API in a C# .net core site with TypeScript for client-side.
Programmatically managed storage and retrieval of finalized (Checked in) documents through azure blob storage.
Integrated MailJet and MailGun with system manage and keep email lists clean so only people who what to be on mailing lists are contacted.
Programming with 3 rd Party APIs was done with Asynchronous C# features to speed up communication and utilize multithreading.
Used CSS and TypeScript to create fast, rich, and interactive user experiences
.Net Core dependency injection was used for middle tier and backend architecture
11/2015 – 2022 (Part Time) Transportation Management Technology Oak Brook , IL
Software Engineer / Solutions Architect / Unit Testing Mentor
Ended full time employment in 2018 but continued to help occasionally as needed
Developed service-oriented framework using JavaScript/TypeScript with Restful ASP.NET Web Services, MVC Controllers, C# repositories, and stored procedures.
Designed TypeScript/JavaScript patterns to work with 3 rd party libraries in order to meet business requirements for speed, functionality, presentation, setup, user settings, and admin configurability.
Build custom authorization and authentication system to work with Microsoft Claims-based security and utilize existing database data structure.
Developed desktop interoperability for interaction between internet and desktop programs, web services, as well as cross site communication from a single login .
Helped developers learn new skills in C#, TypeScript, JavaScript, agile methodology, code patterns, and Microsoft tools
4 /20 20 – 3/2022 ITsavvy Addison , IL
.Net Software Engineer
Introduced Company to Agile methodology and Microsoft DevOps
Rearchitected software to be Unit Testable and laid out Unit testing strategy
Helped coworkers begin using TypeScript to improve client-side codebase
Implemented QUnit for Client-Side Unit Testing
Participated in Scrum meetings
Created a repository-based strategy for use with Entity Framework, Rest Services, and ADO.net in a way th at abstracted technology implementation
11/2018 – 3 /20 20 LongTerm Software Solutions, Inc Warrenville , IL
Software Engineer / Solutions Architect / Mentor
Provided expertise in debugging C#, TypeScript, Angular 8, JavaScript, MVC, .net Core, WebApi , and Classic ASP
Developed automated integration unit testing strategy generated from stored procedures to ensure thousands of different scenarios behaved as expected before deployment.
Interconnected desktop app with web app for a multithreaded document upload that allows users to upload in the background while no longer on the page where the upload was triggered.
Developed Restful API endpoints and documentation for external consumers.
Converted inline SQL to stored procedures
Helped to develop roadmap for quality improvement on one of Americas busiest websites
Helped to implement sitemaps, JSON Schema, and URL improvements for SEO
Identified areas to improve error handling to more easily identify issues within custom Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)
Helped design and develop calendar strategy to allow for open ended periods with black out capability.
Demonstrated the importance of Service Oriented Architecture and Microservices within large codebases.
Help identify strategies for improvement of agile practices and demonstrated how Microservices help teams work more independently.
Analyzed and helped improve current code bases and Unit Testing practices
Help migrate legacy database tables to new structures in order to accommodate future features in the product backlog.
L everaged the capabilities of Azure DevOps to create continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) pipelines .
12/2013 – 11/2015 RR Donnelley Bolingbrook , IL
Lead Software Engineer / Retooling Mentor
Lead developer on an agile scrum team. Helping to design and develop enterprise level project s utilizing MVC5, EF6, Design Patterns, and automated unit tests.
Utilized SOLID principles of software design to write flexible code easy to adapt. Used patterns such as the repository pattern, adapter pattern, and dependency injection, to insure team had consist testable code.
Focused on test driven development. Broke TFS tasks down using gherkin syntax. Used gherkin syntax in text comments for Unit Tests before writing any code. Created code based on making tests pass with and overall goal of quality, constancy, and testability. Insured quality using peer programming and a code review check-in policy.
2/ 201 2 – 12/2013 Motozuma .com / BoostUp.com Naperville , IL
Enterprise Software Architect / Intern Mentor / CTO
Migrated platform from VB asp.net 3.5 to C# Windows Azure and database to SQL Azure
Re-a rchitected system to use m ultitier C# MVC 4.5 architecture and added automated unit testing
Integrated with US Bank and Authorize.net Payment APIs
Worked with agile team to optimize the product, insure quality, testability, and long-term reliability
We used weekly/monthly A gile sprints to evolve the product based on the end user acceptance o f the new features and the long-term plans of the stakeholders
10/2012 – 4/2013 SunGard Financial Systems Lombard , IL
Sr Software Engineer / International Team Lead
Worked with international team to create stock trading application for use by banks
Helped to optimize C#, SQL, and UI to increase performance
Trained team on best practices for automated unit testing and how to write testable code
Participated in scrum, planning, client, and management meetings
Developed in XAML, using Prism , with Unity Framework in C#
5/2010 – 2/2012 Magenic Technologies Chicago , IL
Microsoft Certified Software Consultant
Worked with Magenic team on a system for reporting and tracking equipment issues
Worked with client to develop flexible, and long-lasting international enterprise system for managing employee profiles
Collaborated with the team of client developers to create an easily-maintained, near-perfect separation of concerns from the Lightweight AJAX WCF calls through each layer of the application all the way to the SQL Server Stored procedures.
Used peer reviews, paired-programming, and code examples to ensure that all code in the application is clean, consistent, and tailored to the developers that would be maintaining it going forward.
1 1 /2008 - 5/2010 Morse Data Corporation Chicago , IL
Software Engineer
Developed Enterprise Management Software for Multi-Channel Merchants, Publishers, and Fulfillment Service Providers
Centralized and compartmentalized logic into neatly organized hierarchical model, helper, cache, (DAL) Data access layer , user controls, and custom Control classes…
Migrated C# Codebase from ASP.NET 2.0 to 3.5 removing or replacing all obsolete methods and updating to Lambda Expressions
Improved and expanded TSQL (Transact- SQL) API for client websites
Custom applications development according to project plans for clients
Created and integrated easy to work with CSS HTML templates
3/2007–7/2008 Unison UCG Chicago , IL
Software Consultant
Built, maintained, and improved applications for City of Chicago and The Chicago Airport System.
Work with ASP.NET 3.5 , Microsoft Ajax , XML, JavaScript, CSS, and HTML
Created relational databases components including Views, Triggers, and Stored Procedures for MS SQL and Oracle.
Custom made compiled controls embed resources and libraries for use by other developers across mutable applications.
Used Transactions , Typed Datasets, and Web Services regularly.
Integrated HTML and CSS into compiled distributable custom controls.
Helped with Oracle PL /SQL Migration to ASP.NET
Worked with sensitive and confidential data on a daily basis.
Airport Clearance approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
3/200 1 –7/2008 Consulting & Early Career Chicago , IL
Software Developer
Complete project development for E-commerce sites.
Worked directly with Search engine optimization professionals (SEOs) to build high traffic
websites.
Cross platform compatible data driven sites with Ajax capabilities.
Took over sites from other companies and dramatically improved their speed,
performance, and compatibility.
ASP.NET, ASP, PHP, HTML, MySQL, MS SQL and Visual Basic applications
development.
Advanced knowledge of Adobe Photoshop.
Chopped PSD’s into WebPages using Photoshop, HTML, and CSS.
Light Graphic Design work, including icon and button development.
Used advanced knowledge of HTML to integrate dynamic code with UI
4/1999–5/2001 AmericanEagle.com Park Ridge, IL
Graphic Editor, and HTML Specialist
Intense knowledge of HTML and its compatibility, uses, and limitations.
Used Classic ASP for dynamic content and to eliminate redundant code such as
headers, footers, and navigation.
Cut PSD’s in images into optimized for WebPages using Photoshop and HTML with a focus
on cross platform compatibility and optimized all elements for quality and speed.
Current and Past Certifications
Certifications Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft Certified Professional Developer
Web Developer 4
ASP.NET Developer 3.5
Windows® Developer 4
Windows Azure Developer
Microsoft Certified IT Professional
Database Developer 2008
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist
.NET Framework 4, Web Applications
.NET Framework 4, Data Access
.NET Framework 3.5, ASP.NET Applications
SQL Server® 2008, Database Development
Visual Studio® 2010 Team Foundation Server, Administration
SQL Server® 2008, Implementation and Maintenance
.NET Framework 3.5, Windows® Communication Foundation Applications
.NET Framework 4, Windows® Applications
.NET Framework 4, Service Communication Applications