Our  “Faces of Abe” profile for May features  a self-described “number cruncher extraordinaire” who’s been with Abe.ai long enough to have experienced most, if not all of our growth (and office locations) over the past four years. When he’s not enjoying the outdoors, he’s working hard to make our conversational banking solutions smarter and more intuitive. Say “hello” to Jordan Manning, Senior Data Scientist. 

Where do you call home? 

Orlando, FL

How long have you lived there? Where before?

For about five years. Before that – California and Japan.

Who calls Orlando home along with you?

My lovely wife Erin and awesome little cat YoYo. 

Where did you attend school? 

I received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Florida and a Master of Science Degree in Statistical Computing from the University of Central Florida. 

What led you to your career path? 

I realized that I had a natural gravitation toward numbers and recognized the potential of using data to make cool/useful things – I wanted to be a part of that!

Speaking of your role, tell us more about what you do at Abe.ai… 

My role is focused on 1) ensuring and improving the Virtual Financial Assistant’s ability to understand user requests and 2) equipping our Conversate AI Platform with useful Natural Language Understanding features.

How long have you been with Abe? 

I’ve been with Abe for more than four years, so I’ve experienced almost every phase of our growth, both from a capabilities standpoint and physical locations which include starting in an apartment, time in South Africa, sharing a  tiny home office, downtown Orlando high-rise, and our current office in Orlando’s Mills50 District – quite the journey!

What do you enjoy best about working at Abe.ai? 

Without a doubt, having the opportunity to work with fantastic people on exciting and challenging projects.

What do you do in your spare time? 

I love spending time outdoors, snowboarding, reading, and learning.

What’s getting heavy rotation in your music playlist these days? 

Currently bouncing between “Edge of Glory” by Lady Gaga or the Discover Weekly playlist from Spotify (recommendations based on…data!)

Favorite TV show/series? 

“The Great British Baking Show.”

 Favorite movie of all time? 

“The Goonies.”

What’s one thing that people would be surprised to know about you?

Despite my love for snowboarding, I’m occasionally somewhat “allergic” to the cold – will break out in hives in colder environments. No rhyme or reason. Cause unknown.