Leadership

Jeremy M. Usher
Co-Founder, President

Jeremy Michael Usher is Founder and President at Firefly, LLC. A veteran designer and programmer with extensive expertise in data-driven applications, Jeremy is a Zend Certified Engineer (ZCE) and has spearheaded numerous technical projects for clients including IDEXX Laboratories, The Maine State Planning Office, The Maine College of Art, Aegis Bicycles and Gallery Leather.

Accomplished in user-interface-design and application development alike, Mr. Usher’s web designs have appeared in The New York Times and Entrepreneur Magazine and his innovative software strategies have led to the creation of the Apollo Engine™, a novel tool for automatically transforming 3NF relational databases into robust and standards compliant websites.

A longtime proponent of interdisciplinary studies, Mr. Usher has lectured on mathematics, philosophy and new media for Upward Bound, been commissioned as a writer in Ireland, and produced several patent candidates that are currently under development at Firefly.

In 1998, Jeremy graduated as an AP Scholar with Distinction from the Maine School of Science and Mathematics. He attended Bard College and the University of Maine, where he was the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. A two-time recipient of grants from the Libra Future Fund, Jeremy has also been Featured Entrepreneur in Maine Biz magazine. In 2006, Jeremy had the great honor of being the first alumnus appointed to the Maine School of Science and Mathematics Board of Trustees by Governor John Baldacci and the 122nd Maine Legislature. In 2009, Mr. Usher joined the MSSM Board's Executive Committee as Chair of External Relations.

Presently, Jeremy is leading the development of an automated scoring engine known as Gradefly, for which he received a 2009 Maine Technology Institute (MTI) grant. 

Jonathon L. Duckworth
Co-Founder

A one man cavalcade of technical knowhow, it's rumored that Principal Jon Duckworth dreams in syntax colored Python. An authority on countless programming languages, protocols, and operating systems, Jon is Firefly's antidote to computer mayhem.

A computing prodigy since he was young, Jon also maintains expertise in biology and anthropology: enhancing Firefly's ability to tackle sophisticated technical publications and interactive guides.