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16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

expressionengine developers - 16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

ExpressionEngine has remained a powerful and flexible CMS for over two decades, thanks to a dedicated global community of experts.

This ecosystem thrives on the work of core maintainers, prolific add-on developers, long-time agency leaders, and passionate educators who continue to push ExpressionEngine forward. From major contributors to EE6-7 to those driving integrations like Coilpack and Laravel bridges, these individuals represent the very best Expression Engine has to offer.

Below is a carefully curated and updated list of the world’s top ExpressionEngine developers.

  1. Tom Jaeger
  2. Bryan Nielsen
  3. Yuri Salimovskiy
  4. Rowan Sentesy
  5. Robin Sowell
  6. Yulya Lebed
  7. Gilbert Lin
  8. Matt Johnson
  9. Seth Barber
  10. Michael Kant
  11. Doug Black
  12. Brian Litzinger
  13. Paul Larson
  14. Travis Smith
  15. Carl Crawley
  16. John Henry Donovan

Now, let’s delve deeper into their remarkable journeys and lasting impacts.

Tom Jaeger

YouTube Video

Tom Jaeger provides the latest news from the ExpressionEngine team.

Nationality: American

Tom is the co-founder and product leader of ExpressionEngine at Packet Tide, serving as the “owner” of the project.

He has been instrumental in the transition of EE to a free, open-source CMS and in the development of EE6+ features. Tom frequently represents ExpressionEngine publicly – for example, he joined Bryan on Solspace’s podcast to discuss the new Coilpack system. With a background in web development and UX, he has guided improvements to EE’s control panel and developer experience (he authored the official announcement of EE6).

Tom also engages with the community by sharing insights on EE’s roadmap and encouraging add-on developers to adopt best practices.

Bryan Nielsen

Nationality: American

Bryan is the lead developer and co-owner of ExpressionEngine at Packet Tide, driving major development efforts from 2023 to 2025.

He has overseen the release of ExpressionEngine 7 and initiatives like Coilpack, which bridges EE with the Laravel ecosystem. A hands-on engineer, Bryan contributed key improvements such as modernizing the testing suite and build process for EE6. Under his guidance, ExpressionEngine’s open-source community has grown, with frequent updates and security fixes.

Bryan remains active in the EE community through discussions (e.g. on Slack and meetups) and continuous code contributions on GitHub.

Yuri Salimovskiy

Nationality: Ukrainian

A veteran ExpressionEngine developer, Yurihas over a decade of EE experience and has authored 100+ add-ons.

Since 2022, he has been working full-time on ExpressionEngine’s core, after joining the Packet Tide team. Yuri’s contributions between 2023–2025 span many EE7 improvements – he’s credited in numerous release changelogs for bug fixes and enhancements. For example, he developed new image manipulation features and other extensible capabilities in EE6/EE7.

Based in Ukraine, Yuri is also active on forums and Slack, often helping developers solve EE issues. His passion for EE is evident in community talks and his personal blog, where he shares tips and open-source solutions.

Rowan Sentesy

Rowan Sentesy - 16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

Nationality: Canadian

Rowan is a senior web developer at Hop Studios with over 15 years of ExpressionEngine experience.

A self-taught developer, he’s known for deep technical knowledge of EE and has co-authored community resources like the EE Parse Order reference. In 2024, Rowan gave a standout talk at EEConf (“Cache Me If You Can”) about advanced caching strategies in ExpressionEngine. He is skilled in building complex EE sites (high-traffic, high-activity projects) and contributes code back to the EE core when possible (he has reported and fixed issues via GitHub). Rowan also assists in Hop’s add-on development and client training, bridging practical client needs with EE’s capabilities.

His clear communication and technical leadership have made him a go-to EE expert internationally.

Robin Sowell

ExpressionEngine has changed hands, changed models, and changed architecture—but what’s remained is a passionate community that keeps pushing it forward.

Nationality: American

Robin is a legendary figure in the EE community, with involvement dating back to the pMachine days in 2002.

Formerly EllisLab’s “Development Liaison” and support guru, she continued as a core contributor after EE went open-source. In 2023–2025, Robin has worked on improving the EE control panel UX – for instance, she implemented the collapsible sidebar navigation in EE6 and has advised on feature design. She is a prolific author on ExpressionEngine University, writing how-to articles and sharing best practices (e.g. on Mailgun integration).

Known for her enthusiasm (her “casual interest grew into an obsession” with EE), Robin often helps developers in the community channels. She remains one of the most respected voices in the EE ecosystem for her decades of expertise and approachability.

Yulya Lebed

Nationality: Ukrainian

Yulya is a software engineer on the ExpressionEngine core team at Packet Tide, actively contributing to versions 6 and 7.

She emerged as a key contributor in 2023–2024, with her name appearing in numerous EE7 release notes. Yulya’s work has focused on improving the EE control panel and member management features; for example, she helped implement performance enhancements and bug fixes in the membership and roles system. With a background in front-end development, she often tackles UI consistency issues and modernizes the CP design.

Colleagues praise Yulya for her attention to detail and the reliability of her code in mission-critical updates.

Gilbert Lin

Gilbert Lin - 16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

Nationality: Canadian

Gilbert is the Director of Add-on Development at Hop Studios, specializing in building and sharing ExpressionEngine add-ons.

Though relatively “new” to the EE scene compared to others, he has quickly made a name by creating useful add-ons like GB Relay and GB Gated Content. In 2024, Gilbert spoke at EEConf about enhancing the Rich Text Editor with custom plugins, demonstrating his expertise in extending EE’s functionality. He brings a creative, multi-disciplinary approach – besides coding, he has interests in music, cooking, and even knitting, which reflects in his problem-solving flair. Gilbert actively supports the EE community via add-on releases and answering questions.

As one of the younger global EE influencers, he’s ensuring the ecosystem remains vibrant with new tools and ideas.

Matt Johnson

Nationality: American

Matt is a software developer at Packet Tide who has taken a lead role in ExpressionEngine add-on development and core maintenance.

Active in 2023–25, he frequently presents on best practices for building EE add-ons (for example, leading an “EE Add-On Development” session in July 2023). Matt has contributed significant code to the core – he’s credited on security updates and new features in EE6.4+ and EE7. Notably, Matt implemented a smoother upgrade path from EE2 to EE6 and co-authored internal tools to streamline development. Based in the U.S., he engages with the community on forums and GitHub, helping to review pull requests. Matt’s blend of front-end and back-end skills and his outreach (via talks and social media) have made him a recognized EE expert globally.

Seth Barber

Nationality: American

Seth (S. Croston Barber) is a seasoned ExpressionEngine developer and former EllisLab engineer who remains influential in the EE world.

He initially contributed to EE’s core in the early 2010s and re-engaged with the project after open-sourcing. In recent years, Seth has assisted the Packet Tide team by contributing performance improvements and bug fixes – he is listed as a contributor in EE6 and EE7 release notes. Seth’s expertise lies in robust back-end code; he was involved in refining the EE6 control panel UI and underlying architecture. He also co-founded a small product studio and built tools for the EE community. While not very active on social media, Seth is well-known through his long history with EE and continues to be consulted for his deep knowledge of the CMS’s inner workings.

Michael Kant

Michael Kant - 16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

Nationality: Canadian

Michael is a software developer at Hop Studios and part of the new generation of EE core contributors.

With Hop Studios being involved “for (practically) decades” in EE, Mike has immersed himself in the platform’s development culture. He works on both client projects and on improving EE itself – for example, he helped implement the Dark Mode in the EE7 control panel in late 2024. Michael is appreciated for working on “all the best parts of the internet” at Hop, which includes refining EE add-ons and ensuring their compatibility with the latest EE versions. He’s also active in the EE Slack, helping troubleshoot issues and gathering community feedback. As a result, Michael has quickly gained recognition as a skilled EE developer who balances maintenance with innovation.

Doug Black

Nationality: American

Doug is the founder of Triple Nerd Score (a web development firm) and a core contributor to ExpressionEngine.

He emerged in the EE community as a power user and add-on developer, later joining the EE core contribution team. Doug developed the official Dark Mode feature for the EE control panel (released in EE7.2), addressing a long-requested community feature. He also writes on EE University; for instance, he authored a course on headless EE integrations in 2021. As an EEConf organizer/volunteer, Doug has helped run community events and was active in the ExpressionEngine Community Association. With a strong full-stack background, Doug integrates modern workflows (like CI/CD and Docker) into EE projects and shares these insights with fellow developers. He’s widely respected for his combination of coding chops and community dedication.

Brian Litzinger

Nationality: American

Brian is the founder of BoldMinded, an add-on development company, and a long-standing EE innovator.

Over the past 12+ years, BoldMinded (i.e., Brian) has created some of the most widely used ExpressionEngine add-ons, including Publisher and Speedy. In 2023, Brian continued to enhance the EE ecosystem by acquiring and maintaining additional add-ons – for example, he took over the Ansel image field add-on to ensure its ongoing support. Brian is also a core code contributor; he has submitted fixes and features to EE’s GitHub and is credited in EE7 release notes for security improvements. By day, he works as a senior engineer in another domain, but “by night” he advances EE. Brian’s influence is global: he writes technical blog posts, engages on EE Slack, and has even spoken about EE add-on development on podcasts.

Paul Larson

Paul Larson - 16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

Nationality: American

Paul is the owner of Creative Arc, a Minneapolis-based web agency, and a member of the ExpressionEngine Community Association.

He has been building websites since the days of NCSA Mosaic, and adopted EE in its earliest “pMachine” release – making him one of the most experienced EE developers around. Paul’s agency has delivered numerous EE projects and he has contributed to EE’s community initiatives. In 2020, Paul helped organize aspects of the EE Conference and community meetups, ensuring the continuity of EE knowledge-sharing. He also participated in feedback for EE6’s design overhaul, leveraging his long history to suggest improvements. Known for his steady leadership, Paul frequently advises newer EE dev shops and has written about the evolution of CMS platforms. His influence is especially strong in North America, where many consider him a go-to expert for EE consulting and complex site architecture.

Travis Smith

Nationality: Canadian

Travis is the founder and president of Hop Studios (Canada’s leading EE agency) and a long-time ExpressionEngine contributor.

With 15+ years of EE experience, Travis has created many popular EE add-ons and is a frequent speaker at EEConf. In 2023, he continued to be an EE evangelist: Hop Studios sponsored EEConf 2024, where Travis led a roundtable on business and tech strategy. He’s known for sharing insights (often with humor) about EE’s future and the web industry. Travis’s background includes serving as EllisLab’s community advocate and he has deep ties to the platform’s history. Under his leadership, Hop Studios has built numerous high-profile EE sites and even published resources like the EE Parse Order Guide. Travis remains globally respected for his expertise and his role in nurturing the EE community through mentorship and content.

Carl Crawley

Carl Crawley - 16 Best ExpressionEngine Developers to Hire

Nationality: British

Carl is the Managing Director of Made by Hippo (UK), an agency that has specialized in ExpressionEngine solutions since 2010.

Working with EE since 2006, Carl has delivered everything from brochure sites to large e-commerce and CRM-integrated systems on EE. He is also a prominent community organizer in Europe – Carl was instrumental in running the EEUK meetups and has presented at multiple EE Conferences. Under his direction, Made by Hippo became known for pushing EE’s limits (for example, building transactional sites with heavy load on EE 5 and pioneering some early use of EE’s REST API). Carl also engages with the wider PHP community, bringing modern practices into EE projects.

In recent years he’s balanced EE work with Craft CMS and Laravel projects, but remains an advocate for EE’s flexibility for the right use cases. Carl’s straight-talking, humorous presentations (often referencing his long agency experience) have made him a familiar and trusted figure among EE developers globally.

John Henry Donovan

Nationality: Irish

John Henry is a co-founder of Solspace, an agency known for its ExpressionEngine add-ons (e.g. Calendar and Freeform). Based in Ireland, he has been a prominent EE developer and community voice for over a decade.

Between 2023–2025, John Henry balanced work on Craft CMS with continued involvement in EE – notably, he engaged with Packet Tide on the future of EE via the Coilpack project. He joined podcast discussions with EE’s core team (Tom & Bryan) to evaluate integrating EE with modern frameworks, bringing his perspective as someone who has seen EE in enterprise contexts. John Henry has a reputation for clear, honest communication – he often writes about his journey through EE and Craft (sharing lessons applicable to both). He has also spoken at web conferences about multi-language sites and content modeling in EE. As Solspace still maintains EE add-ons, John Henry’s mentorship ensures those tools evolve with EE 7+. His enduring presence makes him a bridge between EE’s past and present for the global dev community.

Wrap Up

These legends represent exceptional talent, making them extremely challenging to headhunt. However, there are thousands of other highly skilled IT professionals available to hire with our help. Contact us, and we will be happy to discuss your hiring needs.

Note: We’ve dedicated significant time and effort to creating and verifying this curated list of top talent. However, if you believe a correction or addition is needed, feel free to reach out. We’ll gladly review and update the page.

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