Kenny Flagg

Data Scientist : Statistician : Dancer : Aspiring Nomad : Amateur Musician

• Bozeman, MT • kflagg.github.io • flagg.ka@gmail.com •

I am a self-directed learner and thoughtful communicator with experience in statistics, machine learning, data engineering, scientific research, event planning, and peer team leadership.

Work Experience

Self-Employed, Bozeman, MT

Consultant, April 2024-present

Self-employed consultant specializing in statistics, data science, data engineering, scientific study design, business intelligence, and web traffic analytics. I have built databases, web apps, data pipelines, predictive models, analytics dashboards, and done assorted statistical analyses.

Tools used:

  • AWS (Amplify, Step Functions, Lambda, Eventbridge, RDS, S3, others)
  • Google Cloud (Drive API, Programmable Search Engine, others)
  • Python, Pandas, SQLAlchemy, Poetry, Pydantic, Pytest, Alembic
  • R, dplyr, tidyr, GGPlot2
  • JavaScript, TypeScript, React, React Native
  • PostgresSQL
  • Tableau
  • GitHub Actions

Vizion, remote

Data Scientist, December 2022–March 2024

Identified gaps in container tracking data and implemented data-driven solutions to fill those gaps, increase data usability, improve data quality, and detect likelihood of shipment delay.

Designed and implemented a data science solution for combining shipping event data from multiple data sources while matching duplicates present in several sources.

Built one of the analytics layer’s most robust crawlers (10000 records per day) when API connections were added for a new set of data sources.

Created a dashboard for daily visualization of vessel locations showing their risk of being off-course or delayed.

Built a data pipeline and dashboard to enable self-service access to the highest-quality recent data for the sales team to use in demos.

Tools used:

  • AWS (Step Functions, Lambda, Eventbridge, S3, Amplify, others)
  • Python, Pandas, SQLAlchemy, Poetry, Pydantic, Pytest, Alembic
  • PostgresSQL, Snowflake
  • Tableau
  • GitHub Actions

Atrium, Bozeman, MT

Data Science Consultant, August 2019–September 2022

Developed AI/ML models for enterprise clients and implemented these models on cloud computing platforms, including AWS and the Salesforce ecosystem.

Lead a two-person team on a long-term project using reinforcement learning to create a next-best-action model for guiding salesperson actions to improve customer retention.

Helped design and implement a custom MLOps solution for automating model experiments, improving collaboration when multiple data scientists needed to work simultaneously.

Identified ways to transform a client’s unstructured datalake into a robust, versionable system used routinely by data scientists to obtain historic data for specific, current needs. Helped mentor the data engineer who was assigned to implement these changes.

Tools used

  • AWS (EC2, Lambda, S3, Sagemaker)
  • Python, Pandas, Numpy, Plot9, MLFlow
  • PostgreSQL, Dremio
  • R, Dplyr, GGPlot2
  • Saleforce (Lightning and Classic), Einstein Discovery, Apex

Montana State University, Bozeman

Graduate Research Assistant, August 2016–May 2019

Consultant with Statistical Consulting and Research Services. Met with clients, provided research design guidance, performed analyses, created data visualizations, wrote reports, and learned new software/methods as necessary. Mentored other graduate student consultants and worked with administration to improve consulting standard operating procedures. Supported MSU student and faculty research in areas including agriculture, plant and animal population modeling, clinical translational research, mental health, and others.

Tools used:

  • R, Dplyr, GGPlot2, SAS, JMP, Knitr

Neptune and Company, Inc., Lakewood, CO

Statistics Intern, May 2016–July 2016

Assisted Ph.D. statisticians with statistical analyses including simulation studies, environmental risk assessments, creating sampling plans, and reviewing reports.

Tools used:

  • R, Dplyr, GGPlot2
  • GNU Science Library
  • Visual Sample Plan

Montana State University, Bozeman

Graduate Teaching Assistant, August 2014–May 2016

Lead instructor for undergraduate mathematics and statistics courses, in both traditional lecture format and student-led small group activities. Lab assistant for a mixed upper-division undergraduate/first-year graduate statistics methods course.

Courses facilitated:

  • Precalculus
  • Introduction to Statistics
  • Methods for Data Analysis

Red9, Manhattan Beach, CA

Data Analyst, November 2013–January 2014

Tested and evaluated algorithms for classifying events in time series data, primarily using hidden Markov models implemented in R.

Tools used:

  • R

Education

Ph.D., Statistics, Montana State University, Bozeman, November 2020, advised by Andrew Hoegh. Dissertation: Bayesian Computing and Sampling Design for Partially-Surveyed Spatial Point Process Models

M.S., Statistics, Montana State University, Bozeman, May 2016, advised by Megan Higgs. Writing project: Visual Sample Plan and Unexploded Ordnance: What do we need to know to find UXO?

B.S., Mathematics, Applied Mathematics/Statistics Concentration, University of California, Riverside, June 2014

A.A., Administration and Information Systems, Riverside Community College, Riverside, CA, June 2011

A.S., Computer Programming, Riverside Community College, Riverside, CA, June 2011

Certificate, Webmaster, Riverside Community College, Riverside, CA, June 2011

Leadership and Volunteering

Downbeat Vintage Swing Society, Bozeman, MT

Archivist, February 2021–January 2024

Took meeting minutes and maintained records of the board of directors’ activities. Taught, DJed, trained volunteers, and assisted with volunteer recruitment for weekly social dances. Served as logistics lead and instructor coordinator for the Big Sky Swing Out weekend festival.

SwingCats at Montana State University

Secretary, September 2018–June 2020

Maintained records and ensured accurate communication between the organization’s officers and members. Supported other officers as needed with social media, graphic design, and coordinating with external organizations. Taught, DJed, and recruited volunteers for weekly social dances. Assisted in planning and ticketing special events and lesson series. Served as logistics lead, assisted with venue booking, coordinated with instructors, and disseminated promotional materials for the annual Swing+ weekend festival.

ASA DataFest at Montana State University

Executive Committee Member, April 2018

Worked with the event organizer and other committee members to plan and promote the event. Supervised and mentored undergraduate and graduate student participants during the weekend-long data analysis competition.

Math Club at University of California, Riverside

Organizer, October 2013–June 2014

Planned club events such as the annual Pi Day party, recruited graduate students and faculty to present talks at club meetings, and gave math talks to an undergraduate audience.

Transfer Student Association at University of California, Riverside

Treasurer, June 2013–May 2014

Assisted with planning and promotion of club events. Worked with the university to ensure the organization continued to be funded.

Professional Certifications

Tableau Desktop Certified Associate, awarded December 2019

Salesforce Einstein Analytics and Discovery Consultant, awarded October 2019

Salesforce Certified Administrator, awarded September 2019

Publications

Flagg, K.A. and Hoegh, A.B. 2023. “The integrated nested Laplace approximation applied to spatial log-Gaussian Cox process models”. Journal of Applied Statistics 50(5), 1128–1151.

Flagg, K.A. 2020. Bayesian Computing and Sampling Design for Partially-Surveyed Spatial Point Process Models, Statistics Ph.D. dissertation, Montana State University, Bozeman.

Flagg, K.A., Hoegh, A.B., and Borkowski, J.J. 2020. “Modeling Partially-Surveyed Point Process Data: Inferring Spatial Point Intensity of Geomagnetic Anomalies”. Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics 26, 186–205.

Smith E.M., Ahmed, S., Dupuis, V., Running Crane, M.A., Eggers, M., Pierre, M., Flagg, K.A., Byker-Shanks, C. 2019. “Contribution of Wild Foods to Diet, Food Security, and Cultural Values Amidst Climate Change”. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 9(B), 191–214.

Flagg, K.A. 2016. Visual Sample Plan and Unexploded Ordnance: What do we need to know to find UXO? Statistics M.S. writing project, Montana State University, Bozeman.

Presentations

Flagg, K.A.. October 2019. “Practical Application of Spatial Point Process Models: The SPDE Approach”. Montana Chapter of the ASA Annual Meeting, Bozeman, MT.

Keller, S.N., Hildreth, L., Flagg, K.A., and Wilkinson, T. February 2019. “Digital Stigma Reduction Mechanism Trial”. Association for Marketing and Health Care Research Annual Conference, Jackson, WY.

Flagg, K.A., Hoegh, A.B., Borkowski, J.J., and Higgs, M.D. July 2018. “Inferring Spatial Point Intensity of Geomagnetic Anomalies from Transect Sampling”. Joint Statistical Meeting, Vancouver, BC.

Flagg, K.A. February 2017. “The Many Mysteries of Markov Chains”. Math Graduate Seminar, Montana State University.

Flagg, K.A. September 2016. “In the Field: A Crash Course in Environmental Statistics”. Math Graduate Seminar, Montana State University.

Fairbrother, J., Flagg, K.A., and Kim, M. May 2014. “Image Processing: Rectangle Detection”. Department of Mathematics Undergraduate Research Presentations, University of California, Riverside.

Flagg, K.A. April 2014. “Groups in Music Theory”. Math Club, University of California, Riverside.

Flagg, K.A. January 2014. “Eigenfaces: Dimensionality Reduction for Face Recognition”. Math Club, University of California, Riverside.

Flagg, K.A. November 2013. “An Introduction to Spectral Clustering”. Math Club, University of California, Riverside.

Posters

Barbour, C.R., Flagg, K.A., Lin, L.S., Mack, A.L., Powell, M.M., Tran, T.V., and Walsh, S.J. February 2018. “Reproducible research implemented through version control systems”. Conference on Statistical Practice, Portland, OR.

Lin, L.S., Banner, K.M., Barbour, C.R., Flagg, K.A., Mack, A.L., Schupbach, J.A., and Zhang, H. May 2017. “Developing Accurate and Useful Analyses of Health Disparities Data using Tools for Reproducible Research”. The Fourth Annual Meeting of the Mountain West CTR-IN, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Flagg, K.A., Barbour, C.R., Mack, A.L., Schupbach, J.A., and Zhang, H. April 2017. “Statistical Consulting and Research Services: Past, Present, and Future”. Student Research Celebration, Montana State University.

Awards

Honors

Outstanding Graduate Student Award, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University.

Fellowships and Scholarships

Gary G. Sackett Award, 2019, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Montana State University.

Travel Awards

Gary G. Sackett Student Research Travel Grant, 2018. CBMS Regional Conference on Spatial Statistics travel funding, 2017.

Software and Programming Languages

General: Bash, C/C++, Git, Python

Cloud Platforms: AWS, SFDC/Apex

CRM: Salesforce

Data Storage: PostgreSQL, Snowflake, Dremio

Document Creation: Google Docs, LaTeX, LibreOffice, MS Office

Mathematics: Mathematica, Matlab, NumPy

MLOps: DVC, Great Expectations, MLFlow

Operating Systems: BSD, GNU/Linux, MacOS, MS DOS, MS Windows

Statistics/Data Analysis: R, JAGS, JMP, Pandas, SciKit-Learn, Stan, Statsmodels, SAS, Tableau

Web: JavaScript, TypeScript, HTML, PHP, React, React Native