Jad El-Khatib
Web Applications Developer
About Me
My name is Jad El-Khatib, and I'm currently a Web Applications Developer at the University of Michigan's College of Engineering. Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan to Syrian parents, my family had a feeling early on that I would have a future in computing. Shortly after grade school, I studied Computer Science at Eastern Michigan University while working at our family-owned bakery.
Those years taught me perseverance and creativity, which I poured into my first substantial personal project, AGOSS (A Game of Some Sort). Building features like custom save and mapping systems gave me the confidence to branch out from the family business and start my professional career in tech.
Whether in my university role or personal ventures, I aim to create tools and experiences that solve problems, empower others, and inspire learning. I'm driven by the belief that good software isn't just functional—it should be intuitive, impactful, and built with the people using it in mind.
Experience
I began my career at the University of Michigan's central IT department (ITS), where I worked on large-scale projects intended for use across the Ann Arbor campus and potentially other U-M campuses. While some initiatives were shelved during the COVID-19 shift in priorities, the experience prepared me for my move to the College of Engineering.
At CAEN, I've spent the past 4½ years developing and maintaining internal applications for stakeholders across the college, including position management systems, performance review platforms, and scholarship award systems. While I often operate as a solo developer within a team environment, I work closely with stakeholders as a project owner and maintainer to ensure applications meet their needs.
Outside of my university work, I am the technical co-founder of CloudCompany, where we developed Skillrocket, a mobile app designed to teach IT skills in engaging, accessible ways—whether through the web or natively on mobile. While the app is no longer in active development, the experience was invaluable, and my co-founder and I still keep in touch to explore other creative ideas we might bring to life in the future.