About

Picture of Jason Kerney Jason on Stilts at the Skansen Museum, Stockholm — not my usual engineering stance, but a great metaphor for perspective.

Robert Jason Kerney—though everyone calls me Jason.

Summary

“I build better software by building better teams.”

I’m Jason Kerney, a software engineer, agilist, and enthusiastic legacy code whisperer. I believe software becomes valuable when the people writing it feel safe, trusted, and empowered. With over 20 years in the industry, I’ve found joy not just in clean refactors and elegant TDD—but in teaching, mentoring, and building up others. I speak often, write occasionally, and coach constantly. I’m married to my best friend and have two curious kids who remind me every day what really matters.

Values

I believe great software comes from teams that feel empowered, supported, and heard. At the heart of my work is a passion for helping developers perform at their best—not through pressure, but through servant leadership, mentoring, and creating space for growth.

I value collaborative environments where knowledge is shared freely, silos are broken down, and everyone contributes to shaping the product and the process. My leadership style emphasizes support over control, trusting those closest to the work to guide its direction.

I also advocate for work-life balance—because sustainable pace, rest, and well-being are essential to creativity and quality. That includes pushing for fair compensation, recognizing not just output, but the whole person behind it.

Above all, I believe the best outcomes come from companies that truly value their employees and embrace bottom-up management, where insights from the ground guide strategic decisions—not the other way around.

🧠 Thought Leadership

Publications

Talks

Interviews

Citations

🛠️ Technical Background

Languages

I spend most of my coding hours in C#, F#, and server-side EcmaScript. These languages let me express ideas cleanly—especially when I’m wrangling legacy systems into something beautiful.

English is my only spoken & written language.

🎮 Personal Life

Hobbies

Outside of work, I love to play games. Paper-and-dice roleplaying games are one of my favorites, thanks to the collaborative storytelling they foster. I have always believed that these games are what made me so good with Pair Programming and Ensemble Programming. I also really like board games and video games.

Beyond that, I have a budding interest in the creation of Natural Spoken Languages. It is a fun way to look at how complex systems grow from very simple starting places.

Favorite Place to Visit

For a late honeymoon my wife and I toured Italy. Out of all the historic and wonderful sites the Cinque Terre, “The Italian Riviera”, stayed with me the longest. 5 beautiful coastal cities with a wonderful walk that connects them all.

After that was New Zealand. This was the first country outside of the US I visited. The place just took my breath away.

Lastly and most recently, I visited Iceland. The whole country is amazing, but the “Sky Lagoon” spa was so stunning I would go back to Iceland just to visit that place again.

Favorite Quote

I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.
― Thomas A. Edison

🤝 Let’s Connect

Want to chat, collaborate, or ask a question? Feel free to reach out at introductions@teamkerney.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.