Brian Collins

Data Scientist · Washington DC · brian@collins.bz

Data Scientist who brings a history of leadership to build an effective team for my clients, answer unique data problems, and hold strong to our principals. I strive to turn data into an adventure by challenging my own beliefs, seeking knowledge everyday, and using that knowledge to help improve the world.

Experience

Instructor

General Assembly

Developing Data Science students through real world projects. Intensive 500+ hour program focused on data acquisition, data cleaning, predictive modeling, visualization strategies, and presentation

July 2018 - Present

General Manager

Benihana

Led a multi million dollar restaurant operation that had the fastest growth within our brand. Created a culture of employee growth and guest service first.

June 2015 - April 2017

Food and Beverage Manager

Marriott Int.

Developed multiple teams across multiple departments. Led a diverse group in a union environment. Believed in keeping employees honest in their time and work quality.

June 2011 - February 2015

Consultant

Small World Development

Developed a new company in the trading sector. Helped establish connections in Hong Kong and mainland China. Developed plans for trade in the liquor world.

May 2017 - October 2017

Education

General Assembly

Data Science Immersive
500+ hours of intensive project based training focusing on data analysis, data acquisition, data cleaning, predictive modeling, visualization strategies, and presentation

April 2018 - July 2018

Michigan State University

Bachelor of Science
Business - The School of Hospitality

August 2007 - May 2011

blogs

  • Medium
    Top 5 Successes for a Beginner Data Scientist
  • Some of my early successes

    DC Shotspotter Location
    Breakdown of Shotspotter information location

    DC Shotspotter Overtime
    Breakdown of Shotspotter information overtime

    From Dining Halls to Data Sets
    Why I left hospitality to try data science

    Dummy Variables Done Right
    Focus on dummy variables for pandas

    Portfolio

  • Story Generation
  • Using RNN to create a story book

    DC Shotspotter Project
    Notebooks dedicated to working with theLabs@DC to analyze new data

    Controlling Spread of West Nile in Chicago
    Data collected from Kaggle, notebooks dedicated to cleaning and predicting where West Nile would appear

    Understanding Housing Data in Ames Iowa
    Focusing on different models that can be done in Machine Learning

    Skills

    Technical Skills
    • Python
    • Git
    • Machine Learning
    • SQL
    • Matplotlib
    • Seaborn
    • Web Scraping
    • Profit & Loss Statements

    Professional Skills
    • Leadership
    • Scouted & Hired Team Members
    • Coach & Counsel to Develop
    • Union Environment Experience
    • Marketing
    • Guest Services

    Interests

    In addition to conquering data, I enjoy most of my time cheering for my favorite football/soccer team. I spend a lot of my time traveling enjoying new foods and cultures.

    I learned one super important lesson while travelling abroad; put a bottle of wine between two people that can't speak the same language, and you will always have a great conversation!