HomeisWheretheWorkIs
Proud Father · Remote Data Craftsman · AI Explorer
Senior Lead Tax Solutions Analyst · Vertex Inc. · Nottingham, PA
“Making complex things clear, one workflow at a time.”
The Analyst
10+ years in tax technology
From reversing $330K in erroneous tax to architecting AI-enabled compliance
The Builder
Alteryx · Python · Power BI · AI Agents
Turning legacy processes into governed, repeatable automation
The Human
Father of Three · Tea Lover · Gardener · Nittany Lion
“Always happy to answer questions”
0+
Years in Tax Tech
$0K+
Tax Recovered via Automation
0+
Categories Maintained
0+
Docs → 1 AI Agent
$0M+
Community Refunds (VITA)
Every Infusion Tells a Story
功夫茶 — Making tea with great skill
I didn't stumble into this field — I chose it.
I went to Penn State for a B.S. in Accounting with a minor in Information Science and Technology,plus a certificate in Corporate Control & Financial Management. From the start, I was drawn to both sides — the discipline of accounting and the leverage of technology.
To get there, I worked. I managed dining for 2,000 guests for Penn State Food Services, directed Tea House Operations for the Gong Fu Cha Club, and prepared taxes for the community through VITA. Every one of those roles taught me something I still use today — how to build systems, how to serve people, and how to stay calm when it matters most.
Gong Fu Cha — 功夫茶 — means "making tea with great skill." It's about patience, precision, and the belief that every infusion reveals something new. That philosophy stuck with me.
Today, I apply that same craft to tax technology. I take messy, legacy-bound processes and — through Alteryx, Python, Power BI, and AI — turn them into something governed, repeatable, and clear. I've maintained 2,000+ taxability categories, built dashboards used in executive strategy sessions, and helped design AI agents that consolidate 60+ documents into a single queryable experience.
Outside of work, I'm a father of three boys under six — that's the title I'm proudest of. I'm also a Tang Soo Do practitioner, a gardener, a weekend DIY renovator, and an occasional potter who finds something meditative about shaping clay on a wheel. I earned a Master's in Data Science because I wanted to understand the math behind the tools I use every day, and a Certificate in Sustainability Leadership because I believe what we build should outlast us.
The Infusions
Each role reveals a new layer of depth
The Deepest Brew
Senior Lead Tax Solutions Analyst
Vertex Inc.
July 2019 – Present · King of Prussia, PA (Remote)
This is where everything converges — accounting knowledge, data science, automation craft, and AI vision.
- •Architected Alteryx workflows for XML test creation, reconciliations, and AI data provisioning
- •Built Power BI dashboards for content management, issue tracking, and strategic planning
- •Developed Power Automate workflows to streamline data ingestion and reduce manual input
The First Automation
Tax Technology Analyst
DLL, De Lage Landen Financial Services
December 2016 – June 2019 · Wayne, PA
This is where Mervyn discovered the power of building systems, not just using them.
- •Led automated solution using Vertex’s Batch Client Interface to reverse $330,000+ in erroneous tax
- •Supported 20+ UAT events with script creation and tax department collaboration
- •Partnered with Finance and IT to plan, test, and deploy solutions to production
Growing Roots
Sales Tax Accountant
DLL, De Lage Landen Financial Services
March 2015 – May 2016 · Greater Philadelphia Area
Deepening tax knowledge, seeing the full lifecycle of sales tax operations.
- •Managed sales tax compliance and reporting processes
- •Developed deeper understanding of indirect tax workflows and regulations
The Entry Point
Tax Administrator
DLL (via Randstad)
December 2014 – March 2015 · Greater Philadelphia Area
Contract role that opened the door to a career in tax technology.
- •Administered tax operations for a global financial services company
- •Gained foundational exposure to enterprise tax systems and processes
The Global Lens
Staff Accountant
Citco Fund Services
September 2014 – October 2014 · Malvern, PA
Exposure to worldwide hedge funds under GAAP and IFRS. Monthly financial highlights, share rolls, and regulatory reporting.
- •Exposed to worldwide hedge funds following GAAP and IFRS accounting practices
- •Completed monthly financial highlights and share roll for multiple funds
- •Worked on monthly regulatory reporting Private Fund Forms for domestic and offshore funds
The First Leaves
Student Manager · Director of Tea House Operations · VITA Tax Preparer
Penn State University
2010 – 2014 · University Park, PA
Where it all began — managing dining for 2,000 guests, directing tea house operations, and preparing taxes for the community.
- •Managed dining operations for up to 2,000 guests at Findlay Dining Commons
- •Directed Tea House Operations — redesigned accounting system, built inventory tracking, grew Gong Fu Cha Club
- •VITA Tax Preparer: contributed $1,001,189 in federal, state, and local refunds to the local community
The Collection
Deep-dive case studies that prove the craft
AI-Enabled Content Testing Automation
Automation · AI · Tax ResearchTax Research content testing relied on manual test data creation and validation. Testers identified rules from spreadsheets, interpreted rule features individually, and manually entered data into Vertex O Series. This approach created high dependency on individual SMEs, limited scalability, inconsistent execution, and resulted in as little as ~1% of content being tested.
VVC International Compliance Test Case Automation
International Compliance · AutomationInternational VAT compliance (VVC) requires scalable validation across multiple jurisdictions with frequent regulatory change.
Power BI Dashboards for Tax Research Leadership
BI · Executive ReportingLeadership lacked consolidated visibility into automation adoption, workflow health, productivity gains, and modernization progress.
Copilot & AI Agent Enablement
AI Agents · Knowledge ManagementTax Research teams spent excessive time on repetitive document searching and jurisdictional lookups across 60+ documents.
Jira Jurisdiction Data Transformation for Power BI
Data Engineering · ReportingTax Research Directors needed visibility into jurisdiction maintenance activity tracked in Jira, but raw data was unstructured and not analytics-ready.
$330K Tax Reversal Automation
Tax Automation · Financial Recovery · Process EngineeringDLL had accumulated $330,000+ in incorrect tax assessments due to systematic posting errors. Manual review and reversal were time-intensive, error-prone, and not scalable, creating ongoing financial leakage and audit risk.
The Tea Set
Every craftsman needs the right instruments
Automation & Data Engineering
Primary workflow engine — XML automation, reconciliations, data provisioning
Web scraping, data extraction, Copilot-assisted scripting
Data querying, transformation, validation
Data ingestion workflows, notifications, SharePoint integration
BI & Reporting
Executive dashboards, automation scorecards, jurisdiction tracking
Data transformation layer within Power BI
Data visualization and interactive analytics
Visual analytics and dashboard design
AI & Enablement
Daily productivity, code assistance, research
Agent design — jurisdictional lookup, research archive
Collaboration & Project Management
Agile Coach, sprint management, intake tracking
Document management, data source
Full suite integration
Certifications
Education
2022
Master’s in Data Science
Eastern University, St. David’s, PA
2020
Certificate in Sustainability Leadership
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia
2014
B.S. in Accounting
Penn State University, University Park
Minor in Information Science & Technology
The Measurement
Impact you can count
0+
Years in Tax Tech
$0K+
Tax Recovered via Automation
0+
Categories Maintained
0+
Docs → 1 AI Agent
$0M+
Community Refunds (VITA)
“I don’t just automate tasks. I reduce risk, create transparency, and give people their time back. Every workflow I build is designed to outlive the project that created it.”
The Garden
The person behind the portfolio
Father First
“Proud Father First” — that’s the first line on my LinkedIn, and it’s intentional. I have three boys under six, and everything I build, every skill I develop, every late night learning a new tool — it’s for them. The discipline I bring to my work comes from the same place as the patience I bring to raising three young boys who never stop moving.
The Tea Practice
In college, I didn’t just drink tea — I ran the tea house. As Director of Tea House Operations at Penn State’s Gong Fu Cha Club, I redesigned their accounting system, tracked inventory, and grew the community. Gong Fu Cha taught me that the best results come from patience, precision, and paying attention to what most people overlook. That lesson shows up in every workflow I build.
Sustainability & Natural Building
I earned a Certificate in Sustainability Leadership from Thomas Jefferson University because I believe the systems we build should serve the long term — not just the next quarter. I’m also drawn to natural building — earthen construction, cob, timber frame — the idea that you can build something lasting and beautiful with what the earth provides. Sustainability isn’t just environmental for me; it’s about building processes, homes, teams, and tools that endure.
The Garden
When I’m not at a keyboard, I’m probably in the garden. There’s something about working with your hands, watching something grow from nothing, that resets the mind. It’s the same satisfaction as watching a dashboard populate with clean data for the first time.
The Reader
I’m always working through a book. Right now it’s the Dungeon Crawler Carl series — a wild ride through a sci-fi litRPG apocalypse that somehow makes you think about systems, strategy, and survival. I gravitate toward stories that blend world-building with problem-solving, which probably says a lot about how I approach my day job.
The RPG Mindset
I love RPG video games — the progression systems, the skill trees, the sense of building something over time. That mindset bleeds into how I work. I gamify my learning, track my progress like XP, and treat every new tool or certification like a skill unlock. It keeps things fun and keeps me moving forward.
Movement & Game Day
I’m an active Tang Soo Do practitioner — it keeps me sharp, helps me age gracefully, and gives me something to share with my boys as they grow. Beyond the dojang, you’ll find me locked into basketball and football. Competition and discipline go hand in hand.
The Open Door
I\u2019m always happy to answer questions \u2014 about tax tech, about automation, about tea, about anything.