Illumination Works (ILW), a leading provider of user-centric digital transformation, is proud to announce the promotion of Dan Harner to Director of Software & Cloud Engineering (S&CE). In his new role, Dan will work closely with the Executive Leadership Team and S&CE professionals across ILW to advance engineering strategies, promote best practices, and drive continued growth and innovation.
Fueling Innovation Through Leadership
Proven Excellence. During his 12+ years with ILW, Dan has established himself as one of the organization’s most trusted technical leaders and foremost experts in software development and cloud engineering. With more than 30 years of industry experience, he combines deep business and technical expertise to design, deliver, and innovative end-to-end solutions for clients, leveraging modern technologies including Python, Azure, AWS, PostgreSQL, Oracle, and React. Recognized as ILW’s 2023 Most Valuable Consultant, Dan has played an instrumental role in delivering mission-critical capabilities for Air Force, Army, and Navy clients while earning a reputation as the go-to consultant for system design, process automation, and scalable solution architecture.
Dan has been an outstanding teammate since he walked in the door over 12 years ago. I am excited for both ILW and Dan as he steps into this new role to lead our software and cloud engineering efforts.
Dan has been a trusted technical expert, innovator, mentor, and leader throughout my time at ILW. He has a unique ability to solve complex technical problems while also developing the people around him. Dan is approachable, steady under pressure, and a great teammate who people genuinely enjoy working with. ILW is stronger with Dan in it and this promotion is well deserved. I am excited to see the impact he will continue to have on the company.
Demonstrated Leadership. Dan has helped drive innovation, expand technical capabilities, mentor and develop engineering talent, support business growth, and shape the organization’s strategic direction. His collaborative leadership style, calm demeanor, commitment to technical excellence, and dedication to doing what is right for clients and colleagues have earned widespread respect across the company. Dan was recognized with ILW’s 2025 Integrity Award for exemplifying accountability, professionalism, and purpose-driven leadership. As Director of Software & Cloud Engineering, Dan will continue to build on these strengths, leading the practice’s growth while fostering a culture of innovation, technical excellence, and client success.
Software & Cloud Engineering Solutioning. Dan’s strategic leadership and commitment to excellence have played a pivotal role in delivering transformative solutions that continue to advance outcomes for both our workforce and our clients. Key projects Dan has supported include:
- Automating Data Rights Verification to Reduce Program Risk & Accelerate Acquistion Decisions (Odin-DR)
- Automated Data Curation, Crosslinking & Document Generation (Odin-AMDA)
- Automated Data Cleansing with Machine Learning (ADCAT)
- Turning Data Labeling into Automated, Scalable Training Data for AI & Machine Learning (Theia)
- From Parts Data to Print Decisions: Scaling Additive Manufacturing in the OIB (Linnea)
- Accelerating Contract Negotiations Through Automated Price Analysis & Documentation (Raven)
More About Dan
Dan is a tremendously skilled and versatile developer who interacts with all organizational roles to accurately identify critical business needs and recommend effective, efficient solutions. Dan is well-versed in all phases of the software development lifecycle―from concept and requirements definition through deployment and production support. He coordinates with team members across the company to define coding standards and best practices as well as to help improve skills around software and cloud engineering.
In his spare time, Dan is an avid reader of all eras of history. Other than reading, he enjoys spending time with his awesome wife who drags him around to Justin Hayward concerts, his two amazing sons, and a menagerie of dogs and cats (three of each).
ILW is a unique organization that fosters innovation, encourages creative thinking, and empowers employees to take ownership of their work, especially on challenging client-facing projects. Since joining ILW, I have had the privilege of growing alongside an exceptionally intelligent, talented, collaborative, and forward-thinking group of people. Throughout my time here, ILW’s leaders have consistently demonstrated a commitment to employee growth and internal advancement, providing opportunities to expand my skills and take on new challenges. I am honored to continue working with such an outstanding group of people and look forward to this opportunity to support our exceptional teams and continue to help deliver innovative solutions that address our customer’s challenges.
Congratulations
Please join us in congratulating Dan on his promotion. Dan is a tremendous asset to the ILW team. His dedication, strategic vision, and deep expertise in software and cloud engineering have been instrumental to ILW’s growth and success. We look forward to seeing him thrive and drive continued innovation as Director of Software and Cloud Engineering at Illumination Works.
About Illumination Works
Illumination Works is a trusted technology partner in user-centric digital transformation, delivering impactful business results to clients through a wide range of services including big data information frameworks, data science, data visualization, and application/cloud development, all while focusing the approach on the end-user perspective.
Established in 2006, the Illumination Works headquarters is in Beavercreek, Ohio. In 2020, Illumination Works adopted a hybrid work model and currently has employees in 24+ states and is actively recruiting.
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