Dane Hillard

Galvanizer
DISC Type : Id

Associate Director, Product Engineering at ITHAKA

Brooklyn, New York, United States

Overview

Dane Hillard is the Associate Director of Product Engineering at ITHAKA, where he develops technical strategy for JSTOR. An alumnus of the University of Michigan with a degree in Computer Engineering, he is an expert in Python, developer advocacy, and building modular software. Colleagues describe him as talented, generous, and a visionary.

Outside of his engineering work, Dane is a passionate and talented photographer specializing in fashion and lifestyle imagery, and he also enjoys playing music. He is deeply committed to open-source software and sharing knowledge within the developer community, having helped others launch their own creative web projects.

Unique fact: Dane is a multi-time published author of technical books, including "Publishing Python Packages" and "Practices of the Python Pro. "

Personality Overview

Persuader

People-Oriented

Pragmatic

They do not mind taking risks and can make hard decisions, if necessary.  If they come to believe in your value proposition, they will be your champion. They respond better to a combination of speed and relationship.

Topics They Care About

Python Development
He is a prolific author of several books on Python best practices, has appeared on podcasts about the topic, and contributes to Python-focused educational platforms.
Developer Experience
He has led the adoption of internal developer portals and actively posts about the importance of platform engineering to enable product engineering teams at ITHAKA.
Open Source
His professional introduction highlights a passion for open source, and he maintains several public repositories on GitHub and has authored a book on publishing packages.

Media Appearances

Dane has no verified media appearances

Work History

11-2025
Associate Director, Product Engineering at ITHAKA
10-2022 - 11-2025
Technical Architect at ITHAKA
3-2022 - 3-2023
Technology Advisor at Community Buildr
1-2022 - 10-2022
Principal Engineer at ITHAKA
3-2012 - 10-2014
Software Engineer II at Thermo Fisher Scientific

Education

2007 - 2011
Computer Engineering from University of Michigan

More Information

Social Presence :

Prographics :

Exp : 8 Location : Brooklyn, New York, United States Job Level : Mid-senior Designation : Associate Director, Product Engineering at ITHAKA
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Insights For Selling To Dane

During A Call Or A Meeting

DO's

  • You might need to keep the conversation on track, they tend to slide off-topic
  • Take a friendly, informal yet confident approach while pitching
  • Help them weigh the risks by sharing how others made similar decisions

DONT's

  • Don’t be excessively objective, focus on building a story first
  • Do not look like someone who doesn’t know what they are talking about
  • Don’t make promises that are hard to keep

When Cold Calling

When Writing An Email

While Negotiating & Closing

    The secret to closing fast with Dane is

  • Relationship and product conviction matter equally, followed by a sense of achievement.
  • Will you ever get a clear answer from Dane

  • If they are not convinced, they will say no albeit in a friendly manner.


Insights For Deal Planning

    How fast (or slow) will Dane move?

  • If you earn their trust and they develop faith in the product, they can make decisions quickly.
  • Can Dane take some risk or not?

  • They can take risks if necessary.

You And Dane

Personality Compatibility


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