Meet Trace A.: How he Terraformed his own path
From military service to cloud networks
When Trace A. left a lengthy career in the Army, he wasn’t sure what was next, until a friend pointed him toward tech. That lead brought him to a help desk job supporting Department of Defense systems, where his curiosity quickly shifted toward networks. He gained valuable experience deploying secure networks across South America during his government contract work. After transitioning into cloud networking and mastering tools like Terraform, Trace settled into his craft: building scalable infrastructure through code.
A role with impact
Today, as a staff network engineer on WellSky’s Team Optiks, Trace is immersed in Google Cloud Platform (GCP) architecture – writing Terraform modules, refactoring infrastructure, and shaping a more automated, secure networking environment across WellSky. “It’s very stimulating work,” he shared. “I get to build cool stuff all the time thanks to a culture of constant improvement and optimization.”
His work has made a lasting impact. He has migrated dozens of WellSky websites from legacy appliances to cloud-native load balancers, creating a reusable Terraform module now powering more than 50 of our applications. Trace has also rebuilt much of our Google networking infrastructure, eliminating around 20,000 lines of outdated code and replacing it with 15,000 cleaner, more efficient lines of his own.
Collaborating with a culture of builders
But Trace isn’t just about lines of code. He’s known for his collaborative spirit and deep appreciation of the engineering culture at WellSky. “My teammates on Optiks are incredible,” he said. “I like that I can nerd out with them and feel like I’m talking to someone that is interested in the same stuff as me.” He also values supportive leadership, especially when it comes to pitching and testing new ideas. “There’s a real vision here – one that doesn’t accept the status quo,” he said.
Life outside of work
Based in south Florida, Trace balances his time outside of work with golfing, weekend napping, undertaking smart-home projects, and national park adventures with his wife Rocio. He can often be found spending time with their family’s two dogs – a golden retriever and a Pomeranian.
Trace calls passing his CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate) exam one of the best moments of his life. He achieved the certification after long nights studying library books, running labs on Packet Tracer, and following along with Ronnie Wong’s YouTube videos to grasp the ins and outs of dynamic routing protocols. Even though he barely squeaked by on the exam, this marked a turning point for him as all the hours of work began to pay off.
Fun fact: Trace has racked up visits to McDonald’s in over 40 countries, making him something of a connoisseur of international Big Macs.
Advice to future teammates
Trace was drawn to WellSky for its focus on building innovative solutions, and he quickly found inspiration from the culture of continuous improvement. He found a place where he could solve unique – and sometime weird – problems every day. And when he needs to take time off from problem solving? Trace has noted that WellSky’s flexible, no-guilt PTO policy has allowed him to have a strong work-life balance.
To those considering a career at WellSky, his advice is clear: if you’re a builder, you’ll thrive here.
