Rodney Gracia
Senior Frontend Engineering Leader | Design Systems | Accessibility | AI-Driven Development
Frontend architect and team leader with 10+ years of experience delivering scalable, accessible, and high-performing web platforms. Proven track record of leading cross-functional teams, driving design system adoption, and aligning engineering execution with business strategy. Passionate about mentoring engineers, optimizing development workflows, and leveraging AI-assisted tooling to accelerate innovation.
Notable Projects
Emory Rollins
Higher ed website for Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health, built with Acquia Site Studio and Drupal.
School of the Art Institute of Chicago
Higher ed website for SAIC, featuring a custom Pattern Lab design system and Drupal.
National Institutes for Early Education Research
Higher ed website for NIEER, featuring a custom design system and Drupal.
Make A Wish America
Nonprofit website for Make-A-Wish America, built with Drupal.
United Way Worldwide
Nonprofit website for United Way Worldwide, built with Drupal.
CMU School of Design
Higher ed website for Carnegie Mellon University's School of Design, featuring a custom design system and Drupal.
Core Competencies
Engineering Leadership & Strategy
- Team leadership, mentorship, and code quality governance
- Cross-functional collaboration (Product, UX, Design, QA)
- Agile delivery, sprint planning, and resource allocation
Frontend Architecture & Development
- Component-driven architecture (Storybook, Pattern Lab, Atomic Design)
- Modern frontend stack: JavaScript, HTML, CSS, SASS/LESS, React JS
- CMS platforms: Drupal, WordPress
Accessibility & Performance
- WCAG 2.2 (A–AAA) compliance leadership
- AI accessibility automation: Siteimprove & Acquia Web Governance
- Performance optimization and scalable UI systems
Developer Experience & Tooling
- AI-assisted workflows (GitHub Copilot, Cursor, Claude)
- Build tools: Gulp, Node, Git-based CI/CD workflows
- Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence)
Communication
- Bilingual: English & Spanish (written and verbal)
Professional Experience
Senior Frontend Lead / Architect
Digital Pulp
- Defined and executed frontend architecture strategy across multiple enterprise clients
- Partnered with executive leadership to align engineering delivery with business goals
- Led cross-functional teams to deliver scalable, accessible, and performant platforms
- Established and scaled design systems using Storybook and Pattern Lab
- Operationalized WCAG 2.2 compliance across all projects
- Implemented AI-assisted development practices to accelerate delivery
- Led code reviews, enforced best practices, and mentored engineering team members
- Trained internal teams and clients on CMS, design systems, and long-term platform ownership
Recent Work
Earlier Roles
Education & Certifications
Skills
Frontend
- React
- Next.js
- JavaScript
- SASS/CSS
- HTML
- Drupal
- WordPress
- Site Studio
Tools
- Git
- Docker
- Vercel
- Storybook
- Figma
- Jira
- Confluence
- Siteimprove
- Monsido
- VS Code
AI Tools
- GitHub Copilot
- Cursor
- Claude