One of my favorite ways to share my ideas is live on stage, where there’s so much more communication bandwidth than there is in writing, and I love podcast interviews because they give me the opportunity to answer questions instead of just present my opinions. You can view some of my abstracts here or my YouTube channel if you want to get an idea of my speaking style. For a full list of past events please check out the archives. If you would like me to speak at your event please feel free to contact me.
KCDC 2025, Aug 14, 2025 - Kansas City, MO
Remember when virtual threads were just a dream? When native images felt impossible? When observability meant drowning in logging frameworks? Spring Boot 3 didn't just deliver on these promises it transformed how we build Java applications. Join me for a developer's journey as I explore my favorite features in Spring Boot 3.x.
KCDC 2025, Aug 14, 2025 - Kansas City, MO
You reach for your favorite AI tool, give it a prompt and don't get the answer you're looking for. Sound familiar? LLMs struggle with hallucinations, stale data, and accessing your actual business context. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) changes everything by letting you connect AI models directly to real-time data sources, APIs, and business logic. In this session, we'll explore how to build production-ready MCP servers using Spring Boot and the official Java MCP SDK, generously donated by the Spring team to the open source community.
VMware Explore 2025, Aug 25, 2025 - Las Vegas, NV
Skip the slides and dive into code as we build a GraphQL API using Spring Boot. Through live coding, we will implement schema-first design, batch loading optimization, and query filtering. Come see how GraphQL solves common REST challenges like over-fetching and endpoint proliferation. We will explore the latest features from Spring for GraphQL, showcasing recent advancements in the framework. At the end, you will understand not just GraphQL basics, but production-ready patterns for scalability and performance. Perfect for developers looking to modernize their API architecture with practical, battle-tested approaches.
VMware Explore 2025, Aug 25, 2025 - Las Vegas, NV
As large language models transform application development, Spring developers need standardized approaches to connect AI models with external systems. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) provides this standardization for integrating AI capabilities into Spring applications. We will demonstrate how to leverage the official Java software development kit (SDK) for MCP (donated by the Spring team) through live coding examples. Starting with basic configuration using Spring's programming model, we will build custom MCP servers as Spring components and show how to connect Spring applications to various MCP clients. Attendees will learn what the MCP is and how to begin creating their own MCP clients and servers. You will gain practical insights to immediately improve your Spring-based AI development workflow.
Community over Code, Sep 11, 2025 - Minneapolis, MN
Want to add AI to your applications but not sure where to start? This session is for Groovy developers ready to explore the exciting world of artificial intelligence. We'll show you how your Groovy skills transfer perfectly to AI development using Spring AI.
Commit Your Code, Sep 25, 2025 - Dallas, TX
As Large Language Models (LLMs) revolutionize application development, Java/Spring developers face a critical challenge: how to securely and efficiently connect these AI models with enterprise data and tools. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) offers a practical solution by providing a standardized approach for integrating AI capabilities into Spring applications while maintaining enterprise-grade security and scalability.
dev2Next, Sep 29, 2025 - Colorado Springs, CO
Skip the slides and dive straight into code as we build a full-featured GraphQL API from scratch using Spring Boot. Through live coding, we'll implement essential features including schema-first design, batch loading optimization, virtual threads, and query-by-example filtering. You'll see firsthand how GraphQL solves common REST challenges like over-fetching and endpoint proliferation. By the end, you'll understand not just the basics of GraphQL, but also production-ready patterns for scalability and performance. Perfect for developers looking to modernize their API architecture with practical, battle-tested approaches.
dev2Next, Sep 29, 2025 - Colorado Springs, CO
As Large Language Models (LLMs) revolutionize application development, Java developers face a critical challenge: how to securely and efficiently connect these AI models with enterprise data and tools. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) offers a practical solution by providing a standardized approach for integrating AI capabilities into Java applications while maintaining enterprise-grade security and scalability. Through live coding demonstrations, we'll explore how to leverage Java's MCP implementation to build powerful AI-enabled applications. Starting with basic setup and configuration, we'll progress to building custom MCP servers using Java and create practical features that combine the power of LLMs with Java's robust ecosystem. You'll see firsthand how to connect your Java applications to Claude Desktop and other AI tools while maintaining control over your data and infrastructure. Attendees will leave this session with everything needed to start implementing MCP in their Java projects: working code examples, best practices for secure AI integration, patterns for building custom MCP servers, and practical strategies for
dev2Next, Sep 29, 2025 - Colorado Springs, CO
In today's tech landscape, incorporating AI capabilities has become essential for modern applications. This comprehensive 8-hour workshop equips Java developers with practical skills needed to implement powerful AI features in their applications. Through a combination of theory and hands-on coding, you'll learn to build sophisticated AI integrations using familiar Java paradigms. Starting with foundational concepts, we'll progress to implementing specific AI capabilities including natural language processing, computer vision, and interactive chatbots. The workshop explores advanced techniques such as Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) for enhanced context awareness, and the Model Context Protocol (MCP) for effective AI orchestration. Using Spring AI's powerful abstractions, you'll learn how to write model-agnostic code that works seamlessly with both cloud-based and local AI models, giving you the flexibility to choose the right solution for your specific needs. Through guided exercises, you'll gain hands-on experience with setting up AI development environments, integrating various AI capabilities into your applications, and building intelligent features that can process text, images, and audio using both local and cloud-based models.
dev2Next, Sep 29, 2025 - Colorado Springs, CO
Agentic coding assistants and editor based AI chat interfaces are altering the development workflow leading some to proclaim the end of software engineering. Is it time to explore other careers? Not so fast, the rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated! While these tools can boost productivity, to be used effectively, developers still need to master the fundamentals of the software craft. Modern software development demands more than just coding proficiency—it requires navigating an increasingly AI-augmented landscape.