Source: https://jimbir.ch/professional/ # Professional ## Engineering leader, Drupal contributor, *speaker.* I'm Director of Engineering, AI Practice Lead at Kanopi Studios, where I lead a team of Drupal and WordPress engineers. For two decades my work has come down to one thing: bridging the gap between technical work and real business goals. - Director of Engineering, AI Practice Lead - Drupal CMS Committer - Core Subsystem Maintainer - Recipes Initiative Coordinator ![Jim Birch speaking at a conference keynote](https://jimbir.ch/assets/jim-keynote-560.avif) 20+ Years building for the web 18+ Industry award wins (incl. 2× W3 Gold) 10+ Conferences spoken at Core Drupal subsystem maintainer What I do ## Three things, one throughline. ### Architecture & strategy Information architecture, content modeling, and platform decisions that hold up as an organization grows. ### Engineering leadership Leading and mentoring teams of Drupal & WordPress engineers: process, code quality, and delivery. ### Front end, content & SEO Accessible front ends, editor-friendly content tools, and the SEO functionality I lead in Drupal CMS. Award-winning work ## Recognized by W3 Awards and *Web Excellence.* [ ![Screenshot of Humane World for Animals](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/humane-world.avif) 3× Web Excellence Award 2025 Humane World for Animals Accessibility · Animal Welfare · Non-Profit ](https://www.humaneworld.org)[ ![Screenshot of Hamilton Education Program](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/hamilton-ed.avif) Web Excellence Award 2025 Hamilton Education Program Education · Gilder Lehrman Institute ](https://hamilton.gilderlehrman.org)[ ![Screenshot of Flagler College](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/flagler.avif) W3 Gold2× W3 SilverWeb Excellence Award 2024 Flagler College Education · Best Structure & Navigation ](https://www.flagler.edu)[ ![Screenshot of UCSF Department of Surgery](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/ucsf-surgery.avif) W3 Silver2× Web Excellence Award 2024 UCSF Department of Surgery Best User Experience · Health Care ](https://surgery.ucsf.edu)[ ![Screenshot of Virginia Navigator](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/virginia-navigator.avif) W3 Silver 2024 Virginia Navigator Non-Profit ](https://virginianavigator.org)[ ![Screenshot of FlySFO.com](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/flysfo.avif) W3 Gold3× W3 Silver 2023 FlySFO.com Best User Experience · Transportation ](https://www.flysfo.com)[ ![Screenshot of Exploratorium](https://jimbir.ch/assets/awards/exploratorium.avif) 3× W3 Silver 2023 Exploratorium Science · Education · Technical Achievement ](https://www.exploratorium.edu) Open source ## Giving back to Drupal. ### Core Subsystem Maintainer Maintainer of the Recipes & Default Content subsystems in Drupal core. ### Recipes Initiative Coordinator Coordinating the Drupal Recipes Initiative: composable, shareable site building. ### CMS Committer & Track Lead Drupal CMS Committer, Track Lead, and Advisory Board member. ### Community organizer Organizing camps and mentoring contributors across the Drupal community. Speaking & writing ## I like to *talk shop.* ![Drupal Recipes Initiative Update](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yP-no5Z69ro/hqdefault.jpg) DrupalCon Atlanta 2025 Drupal · Recipes Drupal Recipes Initiative Update Initiative update on Drupal Recipes, the composable site-building feature that ships with Drupal CMS. [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yP-no5Z69ro) ![KEYNOTE: Drupal CMS Spotlights](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/miDP9tWot_A/hqdefault.jpg) Drupal Association Drupal CMS KEYNOTE: Drupal CMS Spotlights Keynote spotlighting Drupal CMS features and the teams driving the next generation of Drupal site building. [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miDP9tWot_A) ![A Taste of the Future: Site Templates and Recipes in Drupal](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/cLEPNd_lIy8/hqdefault.jpg) Drupal Association Drupal · Recipes A Taste of the Future: Site Templates and Recipes in Drupal Exploring site templates and recipes as the future of streamlined, composable Drupal site creation. [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLEPNd_lIy8) ![Drupal Distributions and Recipes Initiative Update](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jNNRmC7Ht1o/hqdefault.jpg) DrupalCon Pittsburgh 2023 Drupal · Recipes Drupal Distributions and Recipes Initiative Update Progress and demonstrations of the Drupal Recipes initiative: composable, shareable site building. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1Ea2GzRfZZ67cbFT7pU5jwmqAm1YiTtx2c2eiIQo7ahs/edit) [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNNRmC7Ht1o) New England Drupal Camp Drupal · Recipes Recipes: Welcome to Chef School Two maintainers of the recipe system explain everything about Drupal Recipes and how to create your own. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rmCY_-n6R6p3TDLv_CgkI-b_tG0NKLyeNc4oVQdKyYo/edit) [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3I4v3249QAc) Drupal Association Drupal · Starshot Drupal Recipes Starshot Update Progress update on the Drupal Starshot initiative, providing updates and ways to contribute. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1rWi45_PtQYwlFe5XZrjnJ-aGO_MOmvS2z8e1YR9BmFY/edit) [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGomGmiMM90) DrupalCon Europe Drupal · UX A Tour of Drupal Tours How the Tour module guides administrators and visitors through a Drupal site, and its use in QA testing. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1j5QH4Jx6fSKLr5_dvZUhSWG0iAf_M4-4QVBhE6eAo_8/edit) ![Implementing a Top Notch Search and Social Media Meta Tag Strategy](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-drupal-meta-tags-720.jpg) Bay Area Drupal Camp Drupal · SEO Implementing a Top Notch Search and Social Media Meta Tag Strategy Configuring metadata with the Metatag and Schema.org Metatag modules to boost content in search and social. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1q_vQFiqdFLwhpNLhQaBm05gPrHzOBdshSbQnqLhN8Vw/edit) [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/5442) ![Optimizing for Search Engines with 20/20 Vision](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-seo-2020-720.jpg) Multiple conferences SEO Optimizing for Search Engines with 20/20 Vision A future-looking approach to organically marketing content and brand in search results and social media. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1yC2dNLAWef_rFmArfN64b11wRFmaecp0omnuOJcGB68/edit) Webinar · December 2020 SEO · Meta Tags Winter Webinar: Creating a Search and Social Media Meta Tag Strategy Distribution targeting, content modelling, and testing for a social media and search meta tag strategy. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1kLd3fHk-cKWINLCS_kiUgAGG3-g9xcbZaQDPNT5fl-k/edit) ![Meta and Schema in Drupal: Defining the Content about your Content](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-meta-schema-drupal-720.jpg) Multiple conferences Drupal · SEO Meta and Schema in Drupal: Defining the Content about your Content Implementing Schema.org schemas for structured data and current best practice meta tags in Drupal. [Slides](https://jimbir.ch/presentations/meta-schema-drupal/) [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/3906) ![Meta and Schema in WordPress: Defining the Content about your Content](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-meta-schema-wp-1200.jpg) WordCamp for Publishers Chicago WordPress · SEO Meta and Schema in WordPress: Defining the Content about your Content Implementing Schema.org schemas for structured data and current best practice meta tags in WordPress. [Slides](https://jimbir.ch/presentations/meta-schema-wp/) [Video](http://wordpress.tv/2018/08/22/jim-birch-meta-and-schema-defining-the-content-about-your-content/) ![Designing for Images in Drupal](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-drupal-images-720.jpg) Design4Drupal 2019 Drupal · Front End Designing for Images in Drupal Using Focal Point, Crop, ImageMagick Image Effects, and Textimage to implement designs in Drupal. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1-S5Q1nwF3aqxIFv9a-plfUoYkEkfmeSqralGpBR7eJg/edit) [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/4415) ![SEO and UX Go Hand in Hand](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-seo-ux-720.jpg) Design4Drupal SEO · UX SEO and UX Go Hand in Hand SEO fundamentals every design should have, and techniques for aligning with user intent. [Slides](https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15q3yTr1i9Swz5PdVrEAx0leh3n-tXQQcba9wXiCqKqA/edit) [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/4393) ![Drupal 8 Style Configuration Management for Drupal 7](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-features-builder-720.jpg) Multiple camps Drupal · DevOps Drupal 8 Style Configuration Management for Drupal 7 Implementing the Features Builder module for Drupal 8-style configuration management in Drupal 7. [Slides](https://jimbir.ch/presentations/drupal-7-configuration-management/) ![Creating Reusable Functionality Across Projects](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-reuse-720.jpg) Multiple camps Drupal · Architecture Creating Reusable Functionality Across Projects Creating reusable, shareable components in Drupal 8/9 using custom modules. [Slides](https://jimbir.ch/presentations/reuse/) ![Building a Better Page Builder with Bootstrap Paragraphs](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-bootstrap-paragraphs-720.jpg) Design4Drupal Boston 2018 Drupal · Front End Building a Better Page Builder with Bootstrap Paragraphs Deep dive into Bootstrap Paragraphs: accordions, carousels, modals, tabs, and multi-column layouts in Drupal. [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/1032) BADCamp 2018 Drupal · SEO Cleaning Up Their Mess: How a Franchise Carpet Cleaning Service Made Their Domain Spotless How COIT Cleaning migrated 100+ franchise locations from multi-site to domain access, with SEO-optimized sitemaps. [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/1128) ![Bootstrap Paragraphs for Drupal 8](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-bootstrap-paragraphs-720.jpg) Multiple Drupal Camps Drupal · Front End Bootstrap Paragraphs for Drupal 8 Combining Bootstrap with Drupal Paragraphs to let content creators build layouts and structured pages. [Slides](https://www.slideshare.net/thejimbirch/bootstrap-paragraphs-for-drupal-8) [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/876) ![Holistic SEO and Drupal](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-holistic-seo-720.jpg) Bay Area Drupal Camp Drupal · SEO Holistic SEO and Drupal Building sites where content, marketing, technical SEO, performance, security, and UX all come together. [Slides](https://www.slideshare.net/thejimbirch/holistic-seo-and-drupal) [Video](https://drupal.tv/media/776) ![Bootstrap Framework and Drupal](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-bootstrap-720.jpg) NYC Drupal Camp / Open Camps Drupal · Front End Bootstrap Framework and Drupal Using the Bootstrap framework with Drupal, from beginner site building to advanced custom theme development. [Slides](https://www.slideshare.net/thejimbirch/bootstrap-framework-and-drupal) ![Optimizing Drupal 7 HTML Markup](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-optimizing-720.jpg) Bay Area Drupal Camp Drupal · Front End Optimizing Drupal 7 HTML Markup Minimizing Drupal markup using Panels, Page Manager, and Fences for complete control over HTML output. [Slides](https://www.slideshare.net/thejimbirch/optimizing-drupal-7-html-markup-using-panels-page-manager-and-fences-to-perfection) ![Standing Up for the Content Creators](https://jimbir.ch/assets/presentations/presentation-standing-up-720.jpg) Twin Cities Drupal Camp · DrupalCorn Drupal · UX Standing Up for the Content Creators Site building and theming for administrators: roles, permissions, workflows, and streamlined editor UX. [Slides](https://www.slideshare.net/thejimbirch/standing-up-for-the-content-creators-site-building-and-theming-for-the-administrators-drupal-presentation) [Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0caK6th44kA) Conferences DrupalCon North AmericaOpen Camps @ the United NationsDrupal Camp Northern LightsBay Area Drupal CampWordCamp ChicagoWordCamp for PublishersTwin Cities Drupal CampDrupalCornTexas Camp Press & writing Drupal WatchdogDrupal PlanetThe Weekly Dropjimbir.ch Certifications ## Keeping up with *what's next.* Google Cloud Training (issued Dec 2025) ### Generative AI Leader Professional Certificate This comprehensive Gen AI Leader training guides business leaders through the landscape of generative AI, starting with its use cases beyond chatbots. Explores key concepts like AI, ML, and foundation models, then delves into strategic implementation, responsible AI, and Google Cloud's unique strengths. Covers using gen AI apps to enhance personal productivity and how to transform organizations using gen AI agents and applications. [View Certificate](https://www.coursera.org/account/accomplishments/professional-cert/certificate/8Z9AG91SHK95) ![Google Generative AI Leader Professional Certificate](https://jimbir.ch/assets/google-generative-ai-leader-cert.avif) #### Anthropic AI - Claude Code in Action - Model Context Protocol: Advanced Topics - Introduction to Model Context Protocol - Building with the Claude API - Introduction to Subagents - Introduction to Agent Skills - AI Fluency: Framework & Foundations - Claude 101 #### Google AI - Gen AI Agents: Transform Your Organization - Gen AI Apps: Transform Your Work - Gen AI: Navigate the Landscape - Introduction to Large Language Models - Responsible AI: Applying AI Principles - Google Prompting Essentials - Google AI Essentials - Intro to Retrieval Augmented Generation (Duke) #### Development & Leadership - Acquia Certified Developer (Drupal 8) - Acquia Certified Site Builder (Drupal 8 & 10) - Acquia Certified Front End Specialist - WordPress VIP Advanced Debugging - Platform.sh Certified Developer - Pantheon WebOps Certified Developer - SHRM People Manager Qualification (PMQ) ## Let's build something, or *talk shop.* Whether you're hiring for a project, organizing a conference, or contributing to Drupal, I'd love to hear from you. [Drupal.org](https://drupal.org/u/thejimbirch) [GitHub](https://github.com/thejimbirch) [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/jimbirch)