Dan Furnier

With over two decades in technology, I’ve grown from a hands-on database engineer to a senior leader overseeing large-scale data and software engineering teams. I’ve worked across healthcare, retail, and analytics, leading teams responsible for everything from 150TB data warehouses to 1.9 million annual pipeline runs in the cloud.

I’m a builder at heart—of systems, of teams, and of trust. At 84.51°, I led our Data Platform Services teams through major modernization efforts, including deprecating legacy on-prem solutions and scaling data orchestration across Azure and Databricks. Prior to that, I helped Anthem reclaim technical ownership of its database infrastructure from IBM, saving millions and transforming how support operated.

I enjoy rolling up my sleeves to solve hard problems—but even more, I love removing roadblocks for others so they can thrive. I believe in leading by example, listening closely, and always staying curious.

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I operate at the intersection of people, data, and purpose. Here’s what guides me:

Leading: I lead with humility and clarity. My goal is to lift up others—whether that’s mentoring a junior developer, advocating for a better process, or spotlighting someone’s quiet win. I measure my success by the growth and health of my team.

Building: I build resilient systems and strong relationships. I lead teams that architect data infrastructure and guide them to deliver long-term, aligned outcomes. Whether I’m shaping a strategy or clearing roadblocks, I focus on sustainable impact across the technical and human layers.

Simplifying: I take pride in translating complexity into clarity. I’ve often found myself helping bridge business strategy with engineering realities—and I enjoy that role. I not only understand how to solve problems technically, but I also factor in business value and practicality. Sometimes the perfect solution isn’t the most valuable one; I’ve learned when to use duct tape and when to use steel.

Learner: I’ve always been self-taught. From my early days with Oracle to mastering Databricks and modern cloud platforms, I’ve learned through necessity, mentorship, and a whole lot of trial and error.

I began studying Computer Engineering Technology at Cincinnati Technical College. Like many, my path took a different route than planned. Rather than finish in a traditional classroom, I dove straight into the workforce—learning by doing and quickly rising through the ranks.

Since then, I’ve continuously sharpened my skills through certifications, real-world challenges, and mentoring relationships. I've earned credentials from Microsoft, Oracle, and Databricks and stay deeply engaged with emerging technologies. I believe experience is the best teacher, and I’m proud of how far it’s taken me.

I live in Cincinnati with my amazing wife Kelly, who’s the heart of our family. I’m a proud dad and love spending time with my family. When I’m not working, I’m usually reading something thought-provoking, listening to podcasts, volunteering at church, or running (I once trained for and completed an Ironman, and I’m currently working my way back into marathon shape.) I also enjoy building side projects—like a tool that scrapes job listings from websites and emails me openings from companies I’m interested in, or another that automatically pulls radio station playlists and turns them into Spotify playlists.

Lately, I’ve been driving part-time for Uber—not out of necessity, but because I genuinely enjoy meeting people and hearing their stories. I believe in making the most of every season—and helping others do the same.

One of the latest additions to this site is an AI-powered interface that lets you explore radio playlist data using natural language. Ask questions like “What artist was played the most this week?” or “When was the last time a Queen song played?” and get real-time answers pulled directly from the database — no SQL required.

Want to see when the scraper was down? Just ask: “Check the 'runs' table for any time the program 'tracker' had a gap of more than 2 hours between runs. Only return one row per downtime, showing when the gap started.”

• Try the AI Query Tool