About

You can see what I'm up to on my now page and here's how you can connect with me.

Only Testers and Hackers enter data into a program just to see if it works.

Hi! 👋 My name is Chris Kenst.

I hold the title of Director of QA from STELLA Automotive AI. I enjoy coaching testers and developers on how to test better and I’m passionate about helping teams accelerate their achievement of shippable quality.

For over a decade I’ve been an active member of the global testing community. In 2018 I was elected to the Board of Directors of  the Association For Software Testing (AST), a global non-profit dedicated to advancing the craft of Software Testing. In 2020 I was named President of the AST.

Since I enjoy talking I try to speak at software conferences and meetups (talks as I call them) when I can. I enjoy learning and writing about software development and software testing here and elsewhere around the web. Additionally I teach software testing, and run an open source list of testing conferences and workshops.  

Background

The past decade I’ve been trying to figure out how to construct and apply well designed tests in an efficient manner. Specifically tools that leverage a human tester while freeing the human testing specialist to focus on those powerful tests that are best done under direct human control. I believe ML can be huge benefit here.

I’ve been in testing and test leadership roles for a number of startups and larger companies but I tend to prefer startups where I can have a bigger impact and don’t have to deal with Traditional Test Management. Before that, I founded and ran a technical services company in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I hold a Bachelors from San Francisco State University. I’ve passed all of the Black Box Software Testing courses available; I find them the closest and most reputable thing to credentialing in the software testing field.

In addition to teaching through the AST, I have had the privilege to teach BBST alongside Cem Kaner on a few occasions. As a Rapid Software Testing alumnus I also have occasionally volunteered to peer review James Bach's online classes.

Misc

• Bio: A biography and headshot for external reference.
• Publications: A short list of my writings and talks.
• My Testing Philosophy: A foundation for studying and improving my ideas on software testing.
• My Career Story: A story about my career along how much money I made at each stop along the way. Only available for members.