I’m a developer advocate at Qase, where I write, speak, and spend my time on the problems the testing community is working through. That comes out of more than ten years of testing software myself, across mobile banking, privacy-focused iOS apps, and e-commerce at scale, often on teams in the middle of an agile transformation. Before tech I practiced law, and the pivot turned out to make sense: testing rewards the same instinct for where things can go wrong.
current role
Developer Advocate at Qase
July 2026 – Present
Qase makes test management software, pulling CI results, automated tests, and manual runs into one place and turning manual backlogs into automated scripts. I’ve been part of the software testing community for a long time, writing and speaking about the problems we face since nearly the beginning of that time. In this role I get to devote more time to digging into those problems, and how to solve them, than I ever have before. I’m looking forward to being an even more active member of the community, which is much larger than any one company, as we navigate the changes to our field together.
what I do
exploratory testing on complex systems
I am the discoverer of the broken, finding the bugs that slip through automated checks because they require understanding how systems actually behave under real-world conditions. Integration points, fulfillment workflows, APIs that interact in unexpected ways.
training & curriculum development
I’ve built testing curricula for developers, created onboarding programs for people new to tech, and trained teams on exploratory testing, risk analysis, and working in context-driven shops.
quality leadership & community building
As QE Community Lead at SeekWell, I ran community meetings, published a biweekly newsletter, and worked with a committee to identify and standardize good testing practices across the organization. As a developer advocate at Qase, I now do that work in the open, with the wider testing community.
I’m not a customer advocate. I don’t know your customers. I know what your review process can’t see.
testing philosophy
- I believe we cannot test quality in. By the time software reaches us for testing, it’s too late if that’s the only place we’re involved. We get into design, refinement, and planning, asking the right questions at the right time, because that’s where quality actually gets built.
- I believe good quality is a team effort. No single person or role can own it.
- I believe we build better software when we think about people having a bad day and still having to use it, whether that’s accessibility concerns, cognitive load, or just reducing rage clicks.
- I believe automation builds confidence that the things we knew about didn’t break. It cannot tell you that the things you didn’t know about didn’t break. Exploratory testing and context-driven testing will always have a place for exactly that reason.
- I believe the practices testers have built (risk thinking, skepticism, asking ‘but what could go wrong’) will outlast whatever AI does to the role itself. Testers are adaptive creatures. Whatever you call us, we’ll keep doing what we’ve always done well. The least exciting part (to me!) was always just writing the code.
previous experience
Senior Quality Engineer at SeekWell (1-800 Contacts): Spent nearly seven years embedded across multiple product teams, from eye exams and contact lens purchasing to launching a greenfield glasses business (The Framery), to warehouse fulfillment systems. Served as QE Community Lead, published a biweekly newsletter, and worked with a committee to standardize testing practices across the organization.
Test Lead at Anonyome Labs: Led testing for MySudo, a privacy-focused iOS app, with a team on three different continents. Introduced BDD, coordinated beta programs, and trained new testers. This was one of the most technically interesting products I’ve tested.
Test Analyst at Zions Bancorporation: Tested mobile banking software during an agile transformation. Pushed the tester role beyond manual testing to include BDD acceptance criteria and API testing with SoapUI. This is where I built my foundation in integration testing. Also won a couple internal hackathons!
Co-Founder at ArtsFuse: Built a digital art subscription startup that delivered curated art to TVs. Ran operations, tested the software (my first formal testing experience), and managed partnerships. We built a working beta but couldn’t crack monetization. Taught me how to define MVPs ruthlessly and build solutions for problems without clear market demand.
Attorney (various firms): Practiced law 2009-2013 in data privacy, asbestos defense, and estate planning before transitioning to software. The legal work trained me to think in edge cases and advocate for people caught in system gaps.
Full career details on LinkedIn .
testing resources
My curated list of books, blogs, exercises, and communities I recommend
→ github.com/racheljoi/testing-resources
certifications & service
I am a certified trainer for the Agile Testing Fellowship . I also chair the Leadership Development Committee for American Mensa . Previously, I served on the Association for Software Testing Board of Directors as Treasurer.
what people say 
From colleagues, managers, and collaborators. Newest first; the relationship and the year we worked together are stated, because both are part of the evidence.
“Any team would be fortunate to have her curiosity, heart, and unmistakable ability to discover what is broken and help make it better.”
David Herrera, senior colleague, 2026
“Rachel has added automated tests where we had previously been told it wasn’t possible to have them… She led out on AI before the rest of the team.”
Kristin Rushton, product manager, same team, 2026
“She’d jump onto a team with a messy legacy codebase or a nightmare testing situation and just figure it out. She was crucial in The Framery’s successful launch.”
Carlos Kidman, Rachel’s dotted-line manager, 2025
“The launch of the Framery was the kickstart of my career and Rachel was the heart of that project. She’s the definition of above and beyond.”
Aaron Halsell, developer, same team, 2025
“Those that graduated from the associate training program were able to move into tech positions or seek additional learning.”
Mike Tate, colleague, 2025
“Rachel is exceptional at building community… She is thoughtful, kind, and unafraid to challenge others in the pursuit of better outcomes.”
Aaron Petersen, Rachel’s manager, 2024
“She’s been a big force in helping my team improve our quality… the company can’t help but move her from team to team, where each time she leaves a permanent mark on all of us.”
Calli Elorreaga, developer, same team, 2023
“Her attention to detail has saved us from many potential disasters.”
Trevor Tubbs, Rachel’s manager, 2023
“Point her at product and watch the quality metrics skyrocket.”
Jeff Poulton, product manager, same team, 2019
“She lives and breathes testing. She doesn’t get stuck in the mud with old ideas and tries new techniques to find the right fit. This kind of thinking has made a big difference to my team.”
Jared Carter, Rachel’s manager, 2019
Want to work together?
Connect with me on LinkedIn