Our Team

Lindsay grew up in Columbus, NE before moving to Lincoln to attend UNL. She has a degree in Art Education from UNL and a degree in Graphic Design from Doane. Lindsay taught art and then spent several years as an Illustrator before becoming a full-time stay-at-home mom to her three children.

She spends her time at Don’t Panic Labs doing odds and ends: keeping the kitchen and drinks stocked, assisting with company-wide events, and anything else that needs an extra hand.

In her free time, she enjoys reading, cooking, sewing, traveling, and spending time with her husband, Mike, and their three kids.

Mike was born and raised here in Lincoln. He graduated with a degree in Finance from the University of Nebraska in 1999, and in 2003 earned his M.B.A. from Creighton University in Omaha. While working in the insurance industry, he discovered that his love of building things extended to software development and never looked back.

Mike has developed applications across several different platforms in the insurance, financial, and medical industries.

Living in Lincoln with his wife and three children, Mike enjoys gardening and home improvement projects.

Branden (known as “Beebs” around the office) had the unique opportunity of testing the waters as a Don’t Panic Labs intern in 2011 while working toward his Computer Science degree at UNL.

Don’t Panic Labs’ passion for building quality software and company culture is why he stuck around. He enjoys collaborating to find the best solution and is quick to pick someone’s brain.

In his spare time, Branden enjoys cycling, bird photography, and tinkering with electronics. He will talk your ear off about anything related to solar energy or electric vehicles – you’ve been warned.

A military brat growing up all over the country, Michael became used to surviving in an ever-changing environment and navigating the unknown. This life experience, coupled with 20+ years in a variety of roles within IT Operations, has helped shape his career by building genuine relationships and leveraging them for collaborative problem-solving. Michael’s goal is to help a developer, engineer, project, team, stakeholder, company, and community drive to close a gap and level up.

Beyond work, Michael’s four amazing (knucklehead) boys, affectionately known as the Blake Boyz, hold his heart. Their shared passion for music, the MCU, video games, all things Mario, and basketball serves as a source of happiness. Michael’s dedication extends to involving his children in his community efforts, where he serves as VP of Prolific Performance, where he aspires to create a ripple effect toward a healthier, more equitable community for kiddos at risk of not having an opportunity to succeed.

Megan loves her role in UI/UX design because it requires her to think creatively about how to solve a wide variety of problems. She deeply enjoys collaborating with a team and together helping an idea evolve into a reality. She is driven by creating unique and effective outcomes and views every project as a chance to learn, grow, and innovate.

Megan has worked in graphic design throughout a wide array of industries. She got her start designing craft beer labels and making posters for local bands, and gradually expanded her skills into the UI/UX realm.

Megan lives in Omaha with her husband, Chris, and their big, orange cat, named Fletch. When she’s is not at work, Megan can be found teaching piano lessons or watching movies she’s probably seen too many times. Megan also loves to travel, try out local food and drink spots, and go antique shopping.

Jamie was raised in Norfolk, Nebraska, and moved to Lincoln to attend the University of Nebraska.

She has worked in different roles, including Business Analyst, Product Owner, and Product Manager. Jamie enjoys collaborating, planning, and navigating challenges to help ensure projects are successful.

Outside of the office, Jamie and her husband enjoy traveling and spending time with family and friends. They especially enjoy outdoor activities like camping and fishing.

After dedicating several years of her career as a Web/UI/UX Designer, Olivia has recently transitioned into the role of a Software Developer following her completion of the Pathways Program with Don’t Panic Labs. She is excited to apply her designer mindset to the creation of both front-end and back-end web applications!

When she’s not glued to the computer, she spends time with her husband Tyler, stepson Anders, and her two dogs: a Dachshund named Miller and a Great Dane named Todd. You can also find her at the gym teaching cycling classes and working out, or helping run her family’s business, Urban Hound Dog Park & Bar.

Fun fact about Olivia: she is polydactyl, meaning she has an extra toe on one foot!

Josh started writing programs while working as a phone rep for Allstate, and it turned into a career over 15 years ago. He has worked on many different projects, from OCR technology to 3D modeling of buildings to simulating loading steel on trailers for transport. Don’t Panic Labs represents a new chapter in Josh’s life and an opportunity to learn new things.

Josh is fascinated with the idea of writing software that controls physical devices. In his spare time, he likes programming Adafruit microcontrollers with python and making LEDs flash. Other hobbies include woodworking, driving his Wrangler anywhere he can, and visiting National Parks to get outside and see new things with his wife and three kids.

A proud native Lincolnite through and through, Steve found his way to Don’t Panic Labs as a college intern while at UNL and has been somewhere in the team’s general orbit ever since. He’s currently a utility swingman of sorts, dipping his toes in everything from implementing and maintaining internal systems and tools to project management, grant writing, ongoing client support, and more.

Outside of Don’t Panic Labs, Steve is heavily invested in Lincoln-area middle- and high-school students, serving as a high school soccer and debate coach and volunteering with several youth development and mentoring organizations. In his spare time (the little he has), you can find him running on Lincoln’s many wonderful trails, playing soccer wherever it’s found, geeking out over anything data-related, and at any concert he can find a cheap ticket to.

Ryan is a former electrician-turned-software engineer. After deciding to make a career change in 2015, he began to pursue a bachelor’s degree. He decided to take Computer Science 1 at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln and was hooked. He interned at Don’t Panic Labs during his senior year and joined the team in 2020.

Ryan loves working with the talented people at Don’t Panic Labs to create robust software solutions for their clients and partners.

In his free time, Ryan enjoys reading, watching movies, listing to and playing music, playing video games and board games, and hanging out with friends and family.

Doug Durham is the CEO of Don’t Panic Labs, which helps companies innovate through the design and development of software technologies. He is also the co-founder of Nebraska Global, known as a pioneer in the startup landscape in Nebraska.

Doug has nearly 30 years of software engineering and development experience in aerospace and defense, healthcare, manufacturing, e-commerce, consumer web applications, and internet network services. He is passionate about the process of solving problems through software, and the application of sound engineering principles and patterns to these efforts. His diverse skills, education, and various leadership roles have shaped his career.

Doug served as a Civil Engineer in the Air National Guard for 21 years, which deployed him to many strange and wonderful places around the world before he retired with the rank of Major.

Doug is a proud Husker and has an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, where two of his three children are also pursuing engineering degrees. He has taught at the UNL Raikes School of Computer Science, and serves on a College of Engineering advisory board. He also has a master’s degree in Finance and Management.

A native Nebraskan, Doug and his wife Shana both love living in Lincoln.

You can keep up with him on his website, dougdurham.com.

Shana might be the first friendly face you see when you arrive at Don’t Panic Labs. She supports the whole team to make our work environment the happy place that it is. She coordinates all our company events throughout the year and assists with marketing, visitors, and tours. She tries to remember all the birthdays, regularly feeds us, and is likely behind any sort of goofy mischief going down. She reads fiction but is picky, and watches English tv programmes that often have a murder and a vicar, in the countryside (bonus points if there is a dog.)

Shana and Doug have three great kids that they are very proud of, and also Ginger, one of the dogs that enjoys working at Don’t Panic Labs.

Meet Sam, a Midwesterner from Fremont, Nebraska! He kicked off his journey at Midland University and later graduated from Full Sail University with a degree in Game Design. With three years in software engineering and eight years in quality assurance, he thrives on simplifying complex tasks.

Beyond work, you’ll find him juggling a mix of hobbies: disc golf, woodworking, nature walks, or birdwatching. He’s also a DIY-er, a passionate reader, a cooking enthusiast, and a sports fan with an eclectic selection of favorite teams.

But the true joy of his life is being a devoted husband and dad to two energetic kids, plus their lovable dog and grumpy cat.

Tim brings a thoughtful and conceptual approach to his role as a UI/UX designer.

After receiving his BFA in painting from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, he worked for several years in print production, branding, and environmental graphic design, creating functional, beautiful design systems across a number of mediums. As a born problem solver, he loves working alongside others to help craft the best possible design solution.

When he’s not doing that, Tim loves camping with his wife and four kids, learning (and talking) about black holes, eating at Honest Abe’s, and playing chase monster with his kids.

Born and raised in Lincoln, Andre’s roots in the Cornhusker state run deep. After completing his studies at the Raikes School at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, he swiftly embarked on a career in software development, ultimately joining Don’t Panic Labs two years later.

Andre is passionate about creating exceptional products that have a positive impact on people’s lives.

Andre loves spending time at home with his partner Anna and their pets – two cats and a dog. Together, they enjoy exploring their Mexican and Korean heritages through cooking, savoring the flavors of their cultural roots in every bite. Andre is an avid supporter of Sporting Kansas City, sharing his passion with his older brother. Growing up with five siblings, Andre has always cherished connecting with his sister and four brothers over video games, music, and sports.

Russ loves the power of stories. He enjoys helping others tell their stories because he believes that everybody has one. That is why you’ll find him writing, photographing, or shooting videos around Don’t Panic Labs.

At home, he can be found creating new beers in his basement brewery. Recipe ideas from the Don’t Panic Labs team are always entertained, and he admits to writing way more recipes than he brews.

He lives in Lincoln with his wife, two daughters, and Rosey the family Danoodle.

Levi Hagen is a creative problem solver with a flair for coordinating community.

Raised on a chicken farm in Ashland, Nebraska, Levi has cultivated a fascination for technology and diverse cultural experiences from a young age. Levi’s tech-savvy, computer-building family hosted 12 foreign exchange students from five countries, and his parents credit video games with teaching him to read. After an adolescence spent organizing creative teamwork and national tours with music groups, he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

At Don’t Panic Labs, Levi continues to nurture his love of collaborative project experiences that uplift their contributors and touch peoples’ lives. Outside of work, you might find him backpacking rainforests, writing and recording music, or managing his creative space — The Mez Collective — to create and facilitate audio/visual art experiences.

Kameron is a Software Engineer born and raised in South Lincoln. He attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and was a member of the first cohort of the Software Engineering major. He has been drawn to computers and software since he first played Halo at the age of 5. In high school, he gravitated toward the computer programming classes offered at his high school.

Kameron found Don’t Panic Labs after a year and a half in the industry. He likes the commitment the team has to the practice of software engineering and its commitment to educating the Nebraska software community.

Outside of the office, you will find Kameron spending time with his dog and cat, playing video games, riding his bike, skiing, snowboarding, or playing ultimate frisbee.

Lindsey was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska. Her career started at 17 when she joined the Nebraska Air National Guard. Nineteen years later, she is currently serving as the Director of Innovation. She has held several jobs over those 19 years: Security Forces, Combat Arms Instructor, Military Intelligence, First Sergeant, and Inspector General Superintendent.

On the civilian side, Lindsey worked at the Nebraska State Patrol as a Crime/Intelligence Analyst, then switched to the private sector. Before joining Don’t Panic Labs as a Project Integrator, she worked as a Product Manager, Business Development Manager, and spent some time as a Product Strategy Director for a retail subscription box startup company.

Lindsey lives in Lincoln with her husband, daughter, and dog.

Wes is a Senior Software Engineer from Blue Hill, Nebraska. He earned his degree in Information Systems from Nebraska Wesleyan University. He has since focused his career on understanding clients’ needs and creating dynamic software solutions that provide real and lasting value to companies. He has a breadth of experience across a variety of industries including insurance, healthcare, consulting, and higher education.

When he isn’t coding or making coffee, Wes enjoys spending time with his family including his wife, their three kids and their dog, Arlo. They love going on vacation and exploring new places—especially restaurants that serve breakfast. When in Lincoln he is often either taking Arlo for a long walk, outside talking to the neighbors, or working on home DIY projects.

Sarah has a passion for learning new things and loves the ability to move between different technologies and projects at Don’t Panic Labs. Outside of work, she likes to keep learning by studying German. According to an internet test, she has almost B1 proficiency.

Sarah has spent most of her life in Nebraska. She graduated from the Raikes program in 2019 and graduated from UNL with a degree in computer science one year later. She had an opportunity to intern at Don’t Panic Labs in her final year of school before transitioning to full time.

Sarah spends her downtime cooking, reading, and playing video games.

As a Sr. Software Engineer and Architect, Jeff creates solution architecture, validates new project key questions, and leads teams in development. He has a variety of experiences creating and maintaining software across many industries, including Agriculture, Insurance, Banking, and Construction, to name a few.

In his previous career, Jeff taught middle school science and has carried that experience into the Pathways Program, where he engages with participants throughout the final stages of development in their capstone project. He acts as product owner, project integrator, and dev lead.

In his spare time, he enjoys any hobby that involves building things or working with his hands. On the weekends, you’ll usually find him in his woodshop making sawdust or trying a new recipe in the kitchen.

Alli is a former health care provider turned software developer. After almost a decade of a career as a Physician Assistant, she completed the Don’t Panic Labs Pathways Program to pursue her passions in software and has been a part of the Don’t Panic Labs team since. She enjoys strategic problem solving to ensure the best solutions for her team and clients.

Outside of Don’t Panic Labs, Alli enjoys spending time with her family and encouraging her two daughters to explore their passions. You can find her curled up with a good book or attending a yoga class.

Beck brings a diverse business background, encompassing finance, human resources, client relations, and general administration. Motivated by a passion for problem-solving, authenticity, genuine connections, and personal and professional growth, he plays a central role in managing Human Resources operations at Don’t Panic Labs.

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Beck calls Nebraska home for the second time. He enjoys hiking, reading, and being active in the community. If you hang around Beck long enough, you’re sure to receive an invite for a group work-out or spontaneous adventure.

Born and raised in Lincoln, Zach is an avid Husker fan, golfer, and sand volleyball player. Zach was reluctant to become a programmer, but after giving it a try he instantly became hooked and has been programming professionally since 2008.

Upon working at Don’t Panic Labs, he began to learn how to better architect software and became hooked to IDesign.

Zach enjoys traveling and hopes to see more of the world in the upcoming years.

Outside of work, you can find Zach eating at taco joints around the town. A lifetime goal of his is to compete in a steak-eating challenge.

Andrea grew up in Gothenburg, NE, and now calls Lincoln home with her husband, Ted, and their three boys. She attended UNK for one year. After getting married, she transferred to UNL to finish her Business Administration degree. She started a career at ITI (Fiserv) as a Software Installer and loved traveling and training customers on their banking software. She stepped away from the corporate world to start a childcare business to be home to raise their three boys.

After 17 years of childcare, it was time to enter the workforce and enjoy adult conversation again – starting with several part-time jobs to get her out of the house. She most recently enjoyed her position as a Medical Receptionist, which allowed her to use her welcoming demeanor and many years of experience with children in a new professional environment. Andrea has great attention to detail, a positive attitude, and thrives on building relationships. She has always had a love of math and looks forward to the times when her boys ask for help with homework. She is thrilled to use her love of math in this new role at DPL.

When not at work, Andrea’s greatest joy is watching her boys grow into young men. She thrives on interacting with and supporting them in their activities. As a family, they enjoy playing board games and watching movies together. Their family dog, Tuxedo, keeps them on their toes.

With any time to spare, she can be found scrapbooking or working on other miscellaneous craft projects.

Ted has been associated with Don’t Panic Labs since its inception in 2010 as an IT consultant but joined the company full-time in 2023 as their Senior Principal IT Technologist. He has over 20 years of IT experience in various technologies and loves solving problems.

When he’s not researching and troubleshooting work-related issues, he spends time with his family, including his spouse, Andrea, and three active boys. He’s heavily involved with youth baseball and loves playing board and video games with his family.

In his rare free time, he loves to binge on Netflix documentaries and watch sports.

Fun fact: Ted used to be Herbie Husker in 1995!

Eric has been developing software for over 40 years and doing it professionally for the past 20. He graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a degree in Computer Science in 2001 and earned his M.B.A. from the University of Connecticut in 2011.

After spending five years on the East Coast, he returned to Nebraska to be closer to family and raise his three children.

He enjoys cooking, eating, traveling, theater, and watching his kids participate in their many activities.

Sophie brings nearly ten years of combined experience in graphic, interaction, and product design to the team. She loves the variety of clients she collaborates with and learns from. She believes that design shouldn’t be an afterthought on projects and advocates for all things meaningful when it comes to good design.

In her free time, Sophie loves gaming, particularly anything open-world and survival-based. Sophie appreciates anything weird or macabre, often going down strange research rabbit holes on niche topics.

Lori helps connect all the teams and partners together and keep projects moving on schedule. She helps keep track of and report on things so her engineers don’t have to worry about them. She enjoys the chance to explore challenges across a variety of companies and industries.

At home, she partners with her husband John as they try to keep up with their son Owen.

Her random claim to fame is that she has won 5 “Food for a Year” prizes at restaurants.

Rollin is a software engineer native to Lincoln, Nebraska, where his passion for creative problem solving initially lured him into the vast and beautiful field of mathematics, which he received his degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He carried the analytical and logical approaches developed in mathematics into software engineering, where he thrives on learning new languages and frameworks. He particularly delights in the confluence of emerging technologies and the opportunities they propose.

Outside of Don’t Panic Labs, Rollin enjoys trying and learning new things. You can find him in the gym bettering his Olympic weightlifting technique for CrossFit or in the kitchen polishing his culinary skills. He enjoys challenging himself with new culinary recipes and spices from around the world, with a focus on pastries, bread, and mixology. He is an avid nerd, often playing video games or D&D with his friends. Finally, he loves spending time reading with his two cats and going on dates with his fiancé.

In 2000, Chad graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering. He then graduated from the University of Nebraska, Lincoln in 2003 with a Masters in Computer Science.

After college, he worked for STI, MindVision/eSellerate/DigitalRiver, and Internap before ending up at Nebraska Global / Beehive Industries / Don’t Panic Labs.

Chad is a lifelong Nebraskan. He grew up in rural Nebraska and now lives in Lincoln. Chad and his wife have a son and daughter.

Jenny is a graduate of the inaugural Pathways Program cohort and went on to work as a software engineer for four years before having an opportunity to come back and officially join the Don’t Panic Labs team full-time. Prior to her development career, she had various roles in operations and marketing, where she did not (even once) use her biochemistry degree.

A born-and-raised Seattleite, Jenny now calls Nebraska home. Outside of work, you can find her on the couch snuggling up with her two kitties and playing video games.

Chris is one of the younger specimens of the Don’t Panic Labs crew. He joined the team right after he finished playing college basketball and has been learning from his colleagues about the depth of programming since. It turns out that there are a lot of things that college doesn’t teach you about what it means to be a good software engineer.

Most days you will find him in the office, but he also likes to stay close to coffee shops when he is writing code.

In his free time, Chris likes to participate in all kinds of sports. CrossFit, golf, volleyball, basketball, and foosball are just a few of them. On nice days he likes to take his German shepherd for an adventure, but on bad days he prefers to play simulation or RTS games. Farming Simulator 2017 and StarCraft 2 are his current favorites.

Jack Nolley is a proud graduate of the University of Nebraska with a degree in Software Engineering. New to being a full-time developer, Jack is eager to make an impact in the local tech community. He enjoys solving complex problems and loves seeking opportunities to expand his knowledge and skills. Jack is passionate about technology and innovation, always looking for ways to contribute to his field.

A lifelong resident of Lincoln, Nebraska, Jack considers himself a runner and is a former member of the University of Nebraska Track and Field team. He is an avid foodie, frequently visiting local favorites like Heoya and Cheesesteak Grille. Jack is a huge fan of Huskers sports and Yankees baseball, and he combines his love for the sport with his passion for mentoring by coaching youth baseball teams in the community.

In his free time, Jack loves to travel and has visited 46 states. His favorite places to visit are Boston for its rich history and Nashville for its vibrant country music scene, a genre he loves. Jack enjoys playing pickleball and organizing dinner parties and picnics with friends to bring everyone together. He values spending quality time with his family and staying active in the local community, always eager to learn and take on new challenges, both personally and professionally.

Pavel is a senior software engineer who enjoys building meaningful things alongside great people. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 2012 with degrees in Computer and Electrical Engineering. Throughout his career, he has found genuine curiosity, a desire to improve, and kindness to be the key factors to what makes a team and its members great – all of which contributed to why he sought out joining the Don’t Panic Labs team.

Pavel is a husband and a dad of two young children who keep him constantly laughing, amazed, tired, and a number of other descriptors. He was born in Mexico City, and lived across Mexico until age 11, when he moved to a farm in rural Nebraska.

Pavel and his wife, Cady (who loves Mexico more than just about anyone), have traveled Mexico extensively and have had the fortune of exploring its amazing people, culture, nature, music, and food, and enjoy traveling there, and anywhere there are mountains. When Pavel finishes long days of work + family time, you’ll likely find him in his racing simulator, where he enjoys endless tinkering, and driving everything from rally cars, to formula, endurance racing, etc.

Christian is an experienced full-stack developer focused on front-end frameworks. He is passionate about learning, growing, and helping others find ways to continually improve. He also contributes leadership, mentorship, and coaching to help teams work together better and grow individually in their strengths.

He graduated from Southeast Community College in Lincoln, where he studied computer programming. He experienced network administration and help desk support as part of his curriculum but realized that programming was what he enjoyed the most.

In his spare time, Christian reads a lot of books. He also runs a book club where any number of topics are covered. Outside the office, his daughter keeps him and his wife busy. New games and types of make-believe play scenarios keep them on the move.

Chase was raised in Seward, NE and attended the University of Nebraska – Lincoln for a degree in Computer Engineering. After graduating in May 2022, he started working at Don’t Panic Labs. He enjoys the hardware and software of computers and working on projects that mix the two. Since he began at Don’t Panic Labs, he has been excited to tackle real-world challenges, continue learning, and make an impact.

While away from work, Chase likes to travel to new places, try different food, bowl competitively, and hike. When Chase is home, he enjoys playing video games and is equally interested in creating them. However, much of Chase’s free time goes to his ball of energy, Mini Schnauzer, Moose, who he shares with his fiancée.

Geoff was born in Texas but moved to Nebraska when he was nine. In college, he studied Music Education and became active in the Lincoln music scene where he played in and fronted two bands: The Fashion Coasters and Dude Won’t Die.

Professionally, Geoff comes from several years of corporate IT experience. He joined Don’t Panic Labs in 2023 after completing the Pathways Program (known as Nebraska Dev Lab during his time in the program), which he credits for having a major transformative effect on his life and career trajectory.

He enjoys software development’s dynamic nature and finding new ways to accomplish tasks through software.

A serial hobbyist, Geoff has dabbled in several different activities, though his mainstays through the years have been experiencing live music, playing tabletop RPGs and board games, and participating in musical theater.

Geoff lives in Lincoln with his wife and their two kiddos.

Ethan grew up in Crete, NE, and recently graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Software Engineering. During his undergraduate career, he interned twice at Don’t Panic Labs.

He became interested in software development in high school after taking an intro computer science course, and he is very excited to be doing it professionally.

Ethan really enjoys the variety of projects he gets to work on at Don’t Panic Labs, especially all the experience and learning that comes with that variety.

When he’s not working, Ethan likes to read, play video games, and cook. He is always looking for new books, games, and recipes to try, not to mention any random hobby he thinks might be fun.

Everett has spent nearly two decades in the software industry, with most of it directly involved with software development. He spent the first 13 years of his career in a corporate environment working for a large Fintech company and the balance of that time with Don’t Panic Labs.

Don’t Panic Labs has given him the opportunity to work with companies of all sizes across a myriad of industries. He has spent his fair share of time maintaining legacy code, developing platform reinventions, and spinning up greenfield startup projects. Most recently, he has been a full-time Architect designing and implementing software systems.

Growing up in York, Nebraska, Andrew was profoundly influenced by the close-knit community that raised him. This small-town upbringing instilled in him a deep understanding of the value of community involvement and supporting local economic growth here in Nebraska.

With nearly a decade of experience in business operations, primarily in the dynamic world of startups, Andrew is dedicated to building meaningful connections and assisting individuals in achieving their goals. Furthermore, he serves as a guiding force within the Business Development team, ensuring clients are well taken care of and their diverse needs are addressed.

Beyond the business world, he cherishes spending time with his friends and family, specifically his wife, Shelby, and their three awesome children. He enthusiastically supports his favorite sports teams (no matter how good or bad they might be) and enjoys playing soccer with friends in the Lincoln community. He’s always eager to meet and engage new people, so never hesitate to say hello.

After graduating from the University of Nebraska and Raikes School of Computer Science and Management, Anne has spent her tenure in software engineering within the Nebraska Global family of companies.

While filling a variety of roles, she has always found motivation in being able to solve problems and take care of people.

When not in the office, her boys keep her busy with a myriad of shenanigans and getting outside as much as possible. You will regularly find her family on a walk, hike, or playing in the backyard.

Rafael was born in Valencia, Venezuela. He graduated from UNITEC with a degree in Information Engineering.

Rafael was part of the inaugural Nebraska Dev Lab (now Pathways Program) cohort and joined the Don’t Panic Labs team full-time in January 2021 after completing the program.

Rafael likes to travel with his wife and hopes to visit all the countries in the world. In addition, he enjoys eating barbecue, going on camping trips, taking road trips, reading, playing computer games, and is a bit of a chess aficionado.

Andrew is constantly challenging himself to try new things, both professionally and personally. This attitude has served him well in his ten years of service in the Nebraska Army National Guard and at Don’t Panic Labs, where he has worked on mobile and web application development since 2014.

He is a proponent of open-source software, a privacy advocate, a testing evangelist, and an all-around web3 fanboy. He tries to stay current with new techs and is always looking for ways to contribute.

When he is tired of computer screens, Andrew can usually be found at home with his wife Kayla and various pets, reading, writing, gardening, and figuring out what to do next.

Small town Nebraska born and raised, Bill has spent the last couple of decades finding ways to build cool things with his buddies.

In that time, his circle of “buddies” has grown and the “cool things” have morphed from building software platforms to building communities and ecosystems of software engineering, corporate innovation, and entrepreneurship.

His first real job at a Silicon Valley startup in the early 2000s set the stage for a career of creating innovation. His next stop at TAG/TMI transformed both TAG and its client insurance companies into innovation leaders in the industry. That innovation led to the creation and growth of an ecosystem of companies in Lincoln, and Omaha and ultimately the acquisition of TAG/TMI by Perot Systems.

Currently, Bill is happily creating a groundswell of change and innovation in the Silicon Prairie ecosystem with his buddies at Don’t Panic Labs. He can be found regularly at community events or busily working in coffee shops and boardrooms to create opportunities for collisions of entrepreneurs, community leaders, and the ecosystem.

When not at a coffee shop, he is likely with his wife Tina and his kids at cross-country meets, concerts, or ball fields.

Andy has a passion for software architecture and building software with a disciplined engineering approach. He has been working with local companies and startups for Nebraska Global and Don’t Panic Labs.

At home, he enjoys reading, cooking for his family, and getting in as many rounds of golf as he can. He enjoys volunteering as a youth basketball, baseball, and soccer coach for his kid’s teams, and is a huge fan of all things Huskers and the U.S. Soccer team.

He lives in Lincoln with his wife and three kids.

Kyle grew up just outside of Lincoln. A computer programming class he took in high school got him interested in development and he decided to pursue it as a career.

When it comes to web development, Kyle feels right at home. He has spent the last ten years developing web applications and services and has worked on everything from simple websites to large, e-commerce systems.

In his spare time, Kyle enjoys reading comics and playing video games.

Ethan is a software developer born and raised here in Lincoln, Nebraska. He graduated from the University of Nebraska – Lincoln in May 2022, and in less than a month thereafter he began working at Don’t Panic Labs. He’s been interested in understanding how computers work since middle school, and he’s happy to finally be pursuing his passion in the professional world.

When he’s not busy writing code or sitting through meetings, you can usually find him playing video games or D&D with his friends and roommates, weightlifting at the gym, or cooking with his parents over the weekends. He also loves talking about music that he enjoys. If you’re looking for recommendations – or if you just want to hear his opinions – then please ask!

Armed with over 20 years of HCI, user interface design, visual design and development skills, Bob merges his passion for understanding people with the skills for understanding business to create products and services that transform complex interfaces into practical, user-friendly experiences for devices of all shapes and sizes.

Before Don’t Panic Labs, Bob worked for a variety of companies (both as an employee and as an independent consultant) including PenLink, Prairie Cloudware, Intuit, and Union Pacific Railroad to name a few. In his free time, you can find him hiking and camping through the backcountry with his black Lab Nash, cooking for family and friends, or traveling with the love of his life, Mary.

Bob’s first car: 4-door ‘69 Chevy Impala
Kids: Ryan, Maddison, Kate, and Jack
Hobbies: BJJ, The Outdoors, Travel, Cooking
Work Nickname: Brisket

Tony has spent the last 20 years learning that you can’t code around bad design.

His career has spanned web, desktop, mobile, and distributed systems development. He’s been an entrepreneur, built and sold a software company, and even had a brief stint as a CTO. In his time at Don’t Panic Labs, he’s worked with some of the area’s largest and smallest companies.

All of that has led him to his current focus on design, architecture, and technical leadership. Tony believes good design makes good software possible, and maybe in another 20 years he’ll get that all figured out.

Tony lives in Crete with his wife and three school-age kids. He watches a lot of dance, taekwondo, track, and baseball. He tries to play a game or two when he gets a spare minute.

A native of Tajikistan, Malika has lived in Lincoln for more than two decades and considers it her home. She started her career at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, working in comprehensive college transition programs. Her role involved retention efforts and providing academic and personal support for at-promise, first-generation, low-income, and ethnic minority students.

Malika knew she wanted to pivot in her career goals. At Don’t Panic Labs, she leads the Don’t Panic Labs Pathways Program as its first Education Program Manager. What drew her to this position was her passion for making others’ lives better by enabling them to pivot their careers in a better way. Through the Pathways Program, she will be helping address the lack of developers in our area.

Outside of work, Malika enjoys working out, biking, hiking, reading, and hosting friends at her place. She especially enjoys her time with family: her son, Zafar, and her husky dog, Sky.

Brian became deeply interested in software and technology when he saw the difference it could make in people’s lives. He found a passion for innovation (defined as transforming ideas into market-sustainable products and companies)—especially when technology is leveraged as part of the solution. It might be hard to find him at his desk—he’s generally out meeting entrepreneurs and corporate innovators to help them take the next step or explore how we might turbo-charge their efforts.

In his downtime, Brian spends time with his wife and two children. As you might expect, he has a few geeky hobbies including automating his home, playing strategy board games (Star Wars Armada), and enjoying a good Xbox game (Titanfall).

With that said, he still exercises his farm roots by spending way too much time on his lawn.