Scrum Master · Agile Delivery Lead · DBA student
Bernadette Akpeko
I coach teams to say what is really going on, see their work, and deliver it.
I have run delivery for cloud, middleware, business intelligence, and cybersecurity teams. I coach engineering managers, Product Owners, and fellow Scrum Masters. I am also a doctoral student, and I take the learning as seriously as the delivery.
- Columbus, OH · Remote
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
- SAFe 5.1 Agilist
- DBA candidate, Liberty University (2028)
- MBA, Information Technology Management
The route
Every stop taught me something I still use
Open a stop to see what I did and what moved. Dates are month and year.
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My first seat inside a technology company. I underwrote personal loans on a proprietary fintech platform and worked with the technology teams to surface system issues and close operational gaps.
- Kept regulatory compliance and data integrity front and center.
- Verified borrower data to support fraud prevention.
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Frontline Paycheck Protection Program work during the pandemic, while I was learning Scrum on the job and working full time.
- Reviewed borrower documents against the SBA eligibility checklist.
- Escalated suspicious and falsified documents through compliance protocols.
- Resolved escalated customer chats about review status, denials, and delays.
40+ applications daily99% accuracy92% escalation-resolution rate -
Scrum Master for standing teams (manual testing, HyperAutomation, Business Intelligence) and project teams across several business verticals.
- Coached Product Owners, restructured backlogs, and set up iteration paths so work became visible.
- Authored the Azure DevOps wiki from scratch for all of my teams.
- Oversaw delivery of a BYOD field app for 100+ installers and guided a multi-phase customer financing and checkout initiative.
98% sprint readiness30% fewer backlog defects15% lower backlog volatility25% better sprint predictability30% faster onboarding ramp-up -
I led delivery for Cloud Engineering, Cloud Operations, and Middleware teams. Their internal customers were other Compass Group businesses, so their speed and reliability shaped everyone else's.
- Led a cross-team effort to define a shared 1 to 4 prioritization matrix, so a Priority 1 meant the same thing to every team.
- Built executive dashboards in Azure DevOps and used velocity trends to show steady progress on continuous work.
- Established the team Confluence knowledge base and standardized Azure DevOps work item templates.
- Directed the RHEL 7 End-of-Life migration across five teams.
30% shorter cycle time92% of deliveries on schedule20% faster delivery to internal customers20% less schedule slippage15% higher stakeholder satisfaction120 servers, zero unplanned downtime -
Mar 2025 to Jan 2026 A pauseI stepped away to nurture my family through change, then returned to delivery work.
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I led Scrum teams for Security Education and Engagement and for Cybersecurity Strategy, Innovation, and Governance.
- Facilitated sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
- Partnered with leadership on workflow visibility and coached team members through Scrum and Kanban.
6% shorter delivery cycle time30% better workflow visibility -
Now to 2028 DBA student, Liberty UniversityDoctor of Business Administration, Leadership cohort. Studying how leaders build teams that perform, while I look for my next team to coach.
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Next stop Coaching Scrum Master teamsHelping many teams get better at once, with data they can see and trust.
Results
What the teams I led delivered
These are team results from work I led and coached. They are not personal credit, and I do not claim downstream revenue.
Coaching
How I coach, in three real situations
Pick one. Each is from my own work.
Leaf Home · Business Intelligence team
Situation
The team's Product Owner was also their manager, and he was cautious about Agile. Their backlog was huge and nobody could see what was really happening.
What I did
I did not push theory. I asked what frustrated him, met with him regularly to clean up the backlog, and set up new iteration paths in Azure DevOps.
What changed
The team could track their work, and he could see the progress himself. He came to trust the process. We are still good colleagues.
Compass Group · Shared services
Situation
My teams were being blamed for missing deadlines. When I dug in, a Priority 1 for one business unit was not a Priority 1 for the Cloud Engineering team.
What I did
I led conversations with stakeholders and other teams to learn what each priority meant to them, then defined levels 1 to 4 that everyone agreed on.
What changed
Work lined up better across teams, and the team's reputation improved with leadership and with their peers.
Leaf Home and Compass Group · Retrospectives
Situation
Some team members felt too intimidated to say how they really felt in a room full of people.
What I did
I ran an anonymous psychological safety survey in retrospectives, so everyone had a way to be heard.
What changed
I took the patterns to leadership to get the team more help, and to Product Owners to deprioritize items that were not pressing.
- I ask before I tell.
- I make the work visible.
- I protect the team's focus.
- I give everyone a way to be heard.
Helping others become Scrum Masters
Through Women in Tech (WIT), I mentored two women as they moved into Scrum Master careers, including one who needed help working through a conflict with her Product Owner. Two more women I supported were hired into Scrum Master roles. I also coach fellow Scrum Masters on practice.
Try it
The 60-second team pulse
This is the kind of anonymous check-in I run in retrospectives. Answer for your own team to see a sample read and the question I would bring to the next retro. Nothing you select leaves this page.
Toolkit
What I carry with me
Agile and Scrum
Metrics and reporting
Leadership
Tools
Credentials
- Doctor of Business Administration (DBA), LeadershipLiberty University, in progress, expected 2028
- Master of Business AdministrationInformation Technology Management, Western Governors University
- Bachelor of ArtsInternational Relations and Diplomacy, The Ohio State University
- Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)Scrum Alliance
- SAFe 5.1 AgilistScaled Agile, Inc.
- Lean Six Sigma White BeltMSI Certified
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