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David Moran is innovating the ledger experience for Capital One mobile and web users across the world. The senior engineer is there for customers every step of the way, pushing the boundaries of technology to help prevent overdrafts, improve the scroll-and-tap experience, and continue fostering connections across his organization and beyond.
Moran talks Ecuadorian folk dancing, dividing and conquering, and working with a nonprofit to provide English as a second language (ESL) courses to his community.
What do you do today?
My current role as a senior engineer is to manage, improve, and innovate the ledger experience for Capital One mobile and web users while ensuring that the user’s privacy and security is prioritized every time they view their account. We’ve taken strides to help users understand their money better in order to prevent them from over-drafting their accounts and encourage smarter spending and saving habits. Needless to say, we take our company’s mission, “Change banking for good,” to heart.
What is your greatest career accomplishment to date?
During the pandemic, I found an opportunity to start my own digital media agency, Centro. This was a major accomplishment for me as I was able to take the things I learned over the years and establish myself as a subject matter expert in web development and digital marketing. With Centro, I’ve been able to make connections with business owners and help them grow in a competitive landscape. Being able to have foster these connections and see the joy that these mom-and-pops have being able to compete is something that I’ll always cherish.
What is your greatest personal accomplishment to date?
Earlier this year I had my first performance with an Ecuadorian folkloric dance group, Ayazamana. I’ve recently become more interested in my Ecuadorian background, and being able to perform dances from my parents’ home country and their specific region of Ecuador has helped me connect with my past in ways I could have never imagined. Looking into the crowd and seeing a sea of people that looked just like my family is something I’ve never experienced before, and is something I look forward to continuing to participate in.
How do you tackle problems and overcome challenges?
Divide and conquer. Even the biggest challenges can be broken up to smaller, more digestible pieces. Taking the time to break down these problems will not only make the solution clearer, but will also make managing the timeline of tasks much easier as well. Breaking this down may also reveal that the real problem isn’t the one that you’re tackling, but rather something that is going on upstream that you did not see at first glance.
What do you do today to impact your community?
On the weekends, I like to spend time working with local non-profits who’s mission statements align with my personal ideals.
One non-profit I’ve volunteered with, Make the Road New York, has an office in Jackson Heights that offers free ESL courses for those in the community. I’ve had the pleasure of helping their offices to ensure that community members are attended to and that they can get all of the information possible to better assimilate into New York City.
Describe yourself in four words.
Genuine, positive, compassionate, and family-oriented.
What are your future goals?
I’d love to start working with high school and college students who are looking to break in to technology. Hispanic individuals make a very small percentage of the technology workforce, so helping bump those numbers up in the next generation would be something I want to be on the front lines for.
What is your favorite form of self-care?
Becoming one with music. Whether it’s a night out doing karaoke, dancing in my living room, or playing the guitar, there’s something healing about letting yourself be enveloped by music and being in the moment.
What do you like to do for fun when you’re not working?
Cooking and baking. You can always find me in the kitchen after work, whether it was a good or bad day. Earlier this year, my mom gifted me the first cookbook she ever purchased. I’ve been going through it seeing how the recipes I grew up on were first made and how my mom took her liberties to make them just how my family likes it.
Similarly, my dad worked for an industrial bakery in the 1990s and 2000s, and my love of bread comes from him. Some of my fondest memories were being able to visit the plant for Bring Your Kid to Work Day and seeing how the magic happened and taking part in the activities during the day.
What does making NextGen Collective’s 30 Under 30 list mean to you?
One of the hardest things for me to overcome, even now, is taking the time to see the positive impact one’s work can have on their community, family, and workspace. Being selected for NextGen Collective’s 30 Under 30 is a recognition of the hard work that my fellow peers and I have made to improve our communities. I’m honored to be among these individuals, and look forward to working with them as well as future and previous honorees to continue growing our communities.
What is your personal theme song?
“Olita de Altamar” by Cafe Tacvba.
This is a song that touches me on a number of levels. Apart from this being one of my favorite bands, the percussion and style of the song is folkloric in nature. You can take the guitar riffs in the middle of the song and replace them with pan flutes and hear the influence.
Using waves as a metaphor, there’s parallels drawn to the uniqueness of each wave and human life. Each wave having its own path representing the individual paths we all take in life, and the individual sand grains that the waves bring back to the ocean being the unique experiences we have and bring back with us to our community. All of this tied back to how many indigenous communities are deeply rooted in nature makes for a song that will stick with you in all aspects of life.
What is your Latino background?
I am Ecuadorian American. My parents were both born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and migrated here in the 1980s. I was born and raised in Port Chester, New York.
Editor’s note: This Q&A has been edited for clarity.
