The Tech Academy
How Engineers Build Solutions for Real-World Problems · Guest speaker · Completed
Speaker · Instructor · Technical facilitator
William (MJ) Hill
Staff Software Engineer and Forward Deployed Engineer in Atlanta. I speak and teach about agent systems, AI-assisted development, real-time data, and engineering careers.
49public speaking and teaching engagements since 2017
20verified public recordings
164latest workshop-series registrations
10public curriculum repositories
01Recent engagement
02Bios
Copy and paste the length your program needs.
MJ Hill is a Staff software engineer and forward deployed engineer who builds production AI and data systems for regulated, customer-facing environments.
MJ Hill is a Staff software engineer and forward deployed engineer in Atlanta. Over 13 years, he has built data platforms, distributed systems, and applied AI software, including seven years under federal contract at a national laboratory and on Air Force and Space Force programs. He has spoken at AWS re:Invent, LeadDev, Strata, and the ACM Tapia Conference.
MJ Hill is a Staff software engineer and forward deployed engineer with 13 years of experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, New Relic, Meroxa, Zocdoc, and early-stage companies. He was the primary engineer on a Space Force Unified Data Library connector delivered under an Air Force Research Laboratory award. His recent work includes multi-agent systems, LLM evaluation, MCP and A2A integrations, and local model inference for regulated data. At RenderATL, he worked across sales, marketing, and engineering, closing $224,500 across 11 accounts while serving as the sole engineer on the platform those customers bought. He has delivered 49 public speaking and teaching engagements since 2017 and developed the full curriculum for a workshop series that filled to a waitlist.
03Recent talks and workshops
How Engineers Build Solutions for Real-World Problems
Delivered for The Tech Academy on October 9, 2026. A practical introduction to forward-deployed engineering, coding, data, system design, AI, and working with people to solve problems. Includes a registration-workflow exercise and advice for aspiring engineers. read the slides · watch the recording · event listing
The Put That Sh*t On Agent: Why AI Agents Need Contracts
WeAreDevelopers World Congress North America · September 25, 2026 · San José. The Jev experiment compares validated outfit options; PTSO code decides whether to use its judgments. view the slides and app demo · session details
The Put That Sh*t On Agent: Building Multi-Agent AI Systems That Actually Talk to Each Other
Delivered at RenderATL and Commit Your Code in 2026. view the CYC deck v1.6.0 · watch CYC from 5:39:16 · view the RenderATL deck v1.0.0 · read the case study · open the live demo · session listing
Vibe Coding with Guardrails: Rebuilding MajorKey with Claude Code
Delivered for the /dev/color Member-Led Professional Development series. watch the recording
Beyond APIs: Building Interoperable AI Systems with MCP and A2A Protocols
Delivered at /dev/color, BITCON, Atlanta Developers' Conference, and BlackTIDES Data. watch the BITCON recording
Can AI Agents Extend the Half-Life of Open Source Software? A Conduit Case Study
Delivered for the OpenTeams OSA Community. watch the recording
From Vibe Coding to AI Engineering
Three workshops developed and taught for RenderATL University. open the curriculum site
04Teaching
- RenderATL University: developed a 34-document curriculum and taught three workshops on specs, AI workflows, and coding-agent guardrails; 164 registrations and a waitlist for the first session.
- University of the Virgin Islands: paid summer instructor for three years on both campuses; wrote a new curriculum each year and received an invitation to teach as an online adjunct.
- Hackbright Academy: Senior Adjunct Instructor, 2015–2017.
- ModelExpand: paid facilitator for a corporate inclusive-recruiting bootcamp.
- iSTEAM: lead instructor for a 2025 AI and computer-vision camp.
- Hidden Genius Project: session leader and curriculum designer.
- Black Girls Code and Kapor Center: volunteer instructor.
“I left after each workshop and immediately applied what I learned to refine the platforms I'd been working on.”
Oneisha Freeman Rojales · RenderATL University attendee
05Watch and listen
Twenty verified public recordings are linked below: one canonical recording per engagement, with clips and mirrors excluded from the count.
| Year | Venue | Session | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | The Tech Academy | How Engineers Build Solutions for Real-World Problems | Watch |
| 2026 | Commit Your Code | The Put That Sh*t On Agent: Building Multi-Agent AI Systems That Actually Talk to Each Other | Watch · 5:39:16 |
| 2026 | /dev/color | Vibe Coding with Guardrails: Rebuilding MajorKey with Claude Code | Watch |
| 2026 | OpenTeams · OSA Community | Can AI Agents Extend the Half-Life of Open Source Software? A Conduit Case Study | Watch |
| 2025 | /dev/color | Beyond APIs: Building Interoperable AI Systems with MCP and A2A | Watch |
| 2025 | BITCON | Beyond APIs: Building Interoperable AI Systems with MCP and A2A Protocols | Watch |
| 2025 | GoWest | Conduit: Real-Time Data Streams Made Simple (and Fast) with Go | Watch |
| 2025 | BlackTIDES Data · bidWeek | MCP and A2A workshop | Watch |
| 2025 | Stats On Stats | NBA x AI: The Ultimate Crossover · RAG demo | Watch |
| 2025 | Stats On Stats | AI, Software Engineering, and the Future of Tech | Watch |
| 2024 | The Bean Path | Using AI Agent Workflows to Create Your Personal Research Team | Watch |
| 2022 | MagnoliaJS | You Can Get with this or You Can Get With That | Watch |
| 2020 | LeadDev | Minimizing Risks in Code Deployment · Panel | Watch |
| 2019 | Strata Data Conference | The Will Test · Better Together Diversity Networking Lunch | Watch |
Interviews and media
- RenderATL livestream host: Deep Dive: AI Dev Tools & Building in the Open with Francesco Ciulla
- RenderATL livestream host: From Pivot to Purpose: David vonThenen on AI, ML & Career Reinvention
- RenderATL livestream host: Leading with Purpose: Community, Code & What Faris Is Building
- RenderATL livestream host: Robotics, Students & Community: The Work of Nolan S. Code
- Africans in Tech, episode 60 · office politics, layoffs, and AI · watch the “Meet William Hill” profile clip
- 11Alive (NBC Atlanta) · AI and the future of gaming
- Revision Path, episode 352 · career journey from Mississippi to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and New Relic
06Selected venues
WeAreDevelopers · RenderATL · AWS re:Invent · LeadDev · Strata Data Conference · ACM Richard Tapia Conference · MagnoliaJS · GoWest · BITCON · Mela AI · Atlanta Developers' Conference · Atlanta Cloud + AI Conference · OpenTeams OSA Community · BlackTIDES Data · Data 4 Black Lives · The Bean Path · /dev/color · University of the Virgin Islands
Booking
- Formats: 25–45 minute talk, 90-minute workshop, half-day workshop, multi-part series, panel, fireside chat, podcast, livestream, or recorded course.
- Location: Atlanta; available for domestic travel. International engagements considered.
- Recording: encouraged, with permission to publish a cut.
- Lead time: four weeks preferred for a new talk; six for a new workshop.