Formal résumé

Peter Franza

VP of Engineering / Principal Software Architect

Hands-on engineering executive and software architect with 25+ years building interoperable platforms across edtech, defense simulation, intelligent transportation, and educational games. Originated the LTI-based product that became Harmonize, helped lead the company from bespoke custom development into SaaS, and contributes to the 1EdTech standards ecosystem that defines how learning platforms and tools integrate.

pfranza@gmail.com peterfranza.com LinkedIn GitHub

Core strengths

Experience

VP of Engineering / Principal Software Architect

Harmonize · Remote

May 2017 – Present
  • Technical executive and hands-on principal architect for Harmonize, the SaaS product that grew out of an internal LTI initiative and became the company’s strategic focus as it transitioned from bespoke development to product delivery.
  • Led the engineering side of the company’s transformation from a custom-software firm into a SaaS organization, reshaping architecture, delivery practices, product operations, and team structure around a recurring product business.
  • Own the long-term technical direction of the Harmonize platform, balancing product evolution, scalability, reliability, security, integrations, and maintainability across a small multi-team engineering organization.
  • Continue to work deeply in the codebase while mentoring engineers, reviewing designs, and guiding architectural decisions across the product surface.
  • Lead LMS integrations and external-platform work, representing Harmonize in standards and interoperability efforts across the edtech ecosystem.

Learning Tools Interoperability (LTI) Standards Contributor

1EdTech Consortium

Feb 2020 – Present
  • Contribute to the evolution of the Learning Tools Interoperability standard, which enables secure, vendor-neutral integration between learning platforms and external education tools.
  • Help shape LTI service specifications and related ecosystem discussions so real-world LMS/tool integrations are more secure, portable, and practical for institutions and vendors.
  • Bring implementation experience from a production SaaS platform into standards work, helping bridge specification design with the operational realities of edtech products.

Lead Software Architect

42 Lines Inc. · Remote

May 2014 – May 2017
  • Served as lead architect across a portfolio of bespoke higher-education platforms, including custom learning management systems and education-business applications built for institutional clients.
  • Originated the LTI-based discussion product that became the foundation of Harmonize, creating the technical wedge that later enabled the company’s shift from custom development to SaaS.
  • Led architecture and delivery of the early Harmonize Discussion Platform for Canvas, including its core framework, LMS integrations, deployment coordination, and customer-facing demonstrations.
  • Mentored engineers and guided technical execution across multiple concurrent education-technology engagements.

Founding Lead Engineer

Advanced Training & Learning Technology, LLC · Virginia Beach, VA

2012 – 2014
  • Joined at inception to turn an educational-game concept into a working product, building the initial prototype, shaping the architecture, and helping assemble the first cross-functional team.
  • Led development of a blended Unity3D and web learning platform for the Pi and the Lost Function and Mission: Recon game series, including an intelligent tutoring agent that adapted instruction based on player performance.
  • Built the surrounding product platform: cross-platform content delivery, player profiles, analytics, licensing, payments, back-office tools, and SME-facing authoring tools.
  • Led engineers, artists, instructional designers, content developers, and subject-matter experts across the full product lifecycle.

Lead Software Engineer

Open Roads Consulting, LLC

2008 – 2012
  • Led re-engineering of the OpenTMS advanced traffic management platform from a thick-client application into a high-performance web client for real-time transportation operations.
  • Designed the core application architecture and high-availability delivery model for the next-generation web platform while leading and mentoring a six-engineer development team.
  • Led development of ITACS, an integration platform that unified security systems into a common operational interface for coordinated response and situational awareness.
  • Integrated real-time automatic vehicle location hardware into the tactical display system, bringing live field-unit positioning into the command view.

Software Design Engineer Sr.

Alion Science and Technology

2006 – 2008
  • Original author and lead architect of the Joint Live Virtual Constructive Data Translator (JLVCDT), later known as JBUS, a reusable interoperability platform for military simulation and command systems.
  • Designed the core plug-in architecture adopted by U.S. Joint Forces Command and the Navy Warfare Development Command, replacing one-off integrations with a scalable many-to-many translation framework.
  • Built protocol adapters for simulation standards including TENA, HLA, and DIS, and extended the platform to bridge C4I message formats such as VMF, OTH-Gold, and USMTF into synthetic environments.
  • Mentored a five-engineer team, briefed customers and senior leadership, and served as primary instructor for Alion’s JSAF developer course.

Forward Deployed Software Engineer

BMH Associates, Inc. · Norfolk, VA

2001 – 2006
  • Led delivery of mission-critical simulation software in direct support of joint-service training exercises, translating field needs into deployed capabilities for complex multi-service mission rehearsal.
  • Engineered radar-emulation software for an Air Force command-and-control trainer, reproducing AN/TPS-75 behavior so operators could practice constructing and managing the real-time air picture.
  • Designed weapons-simulation capabilities for the Army’s AVCATT helicopter trainer, modeling radar-guided Hellfire missile behavior for realistic crew training and mission rehearsal.
  • Built and maintained collaborative web applications and project-tracking tools for internal teams and customers across distributed programs.

Education

B.S. Computer Science

Radford University

2000 – 2004

Publications & public standards work