Goals
- To reduce information costs every chance I get.
- To create applications and interfaces that tell new stories about old ideas,
& inspire others to do the same.
- To be surrounded by people who both nurture & challenge me. To do right by them.
Overview
- Over 9 years experience developing websites and applications on a range of scales and budgets.
- Emphasis on extensible, object-oriented systems. Strong believer in progressive best practices, rich semantics and clean design.
- Passionate generalist. Experience including but not limited to: copywriting, editing, graphic design, video production, radio, public speaking and promotion.
- Creative problem solver comfortable in self-directed, team & leadership roles.
Technical Skills
Languages : Frameworks
- Ruby : Rails 3, Rails 2.3, Sinatra
- Javascript : jQuery, Coffeescript, Prototype, Mootools, JSON
- HTML5 : HAML, Erb
- CSS3 : Sass, Compass
- SQL
- Python : web2py
- PHP : CodeIgniter, ExpressionEngine
- Actionscript
- bash scripting
Servers, Platforms, Tools, Applications, Methodologies
Apache, nginx
Linux (Red Hat, CentOS), OS X
Git, vim, Selenium, Jira, Redmine, PivotalTracker
Photoshop, Fireworks, Illustrator
Agile, REST, TDD, OO
Employment History
Developer | Viewpoints Network | Jan 2010 – Time.now
- Rails development with UI emphasis at this Chicago tech leader with over 3m monthly visits.
- Advanced troubleshooting and refactoring in a massive codebase, with code shared between 5 production sites.
- Performed as part of a collaborative, agile workflow. Participated in pair programming, code reviews & general shared geekery.
- With community managers, specified, designed and coded a complete overhaul of the site’s review moderation admin tool.
- Oversaw completion and incorporation of a comprehensive acceptance testing suite using Selenium.
- Worked with product, business & architects to see through development of Craftsman.com from inception to launch.
- Developed widgets and cross-site communications solutions to power review applications on Sears.com.
Lead Developer | ContentNext Media | Nov 2007 – Aug 2009
- Oversaw all daily technical operations for this pioneer in independent financial journalism.
- Constructed numerous modules & site features, including administration tools to oversee ad scheduling and editorial flow.
- Helped plan and enact a large-scale redesign incorporating numerous web services and advanced membership options, inluding coordinated registration across four sites.
- Led an ad server transition to Atlas Ad Manager. Created custom targeting and delivery options across all four sites and newsletters.
- Built individualized syndication feeds for partners such as the New York Times, Reuters and Huffington Post, based on a wide array of custom criteria.
- Created a PHP5 application to let editors assemble, test and schedule daily HTML newsletters using the MailChimp API.
Development Consultant | Trident Communications | Summer 2006
- Helped conceive and construct a public-facing data application for Nexant Chemsystems—a world leader in energy forecasting.
- Led information architecture for the Chemsystems Online project. After a crash course in the energy industry, mapped key data structures and relationships to inform CMS and database design.
- Aided in user interface development, including mockups of the Flash data visualization app.
Technical Lead | Blueeyes Magazine | Jan 2006 – Sep 2008
- Architected & built complete front and back ends for this world-class online photo magazine.
- Developed an XML-driven Flash photo essay/gallery application with dynamic display of multiple layouts, including panoramic images.
Developer | Homefront Productions | Dec 2005 – Dec 2007
- Designed, built & maintained online presence of this nationally-syndicated radio and television media company.
- Selected and deployed audio streaming solutions for weekly satellite broadcasts.
- Frequently designed visual content for promotional campaigns, as well as coding specialized back end functionality (quizzes, contests, etc).
- Devised custom solutions to automate or integrate common office tasks with the site.
Developer | “We Always Swing” Jazz Series | Sep 2005 – Dec 2007
- Designed and built complete front and back ends for this world-class non-profit jazz series.
Freelance & Pro Bono
Education
B.A. English & Political Science | University of Missouri—Columbia | 2004
References
- Stephen Celis | Developer, Recurly | stephen.celis@gmail.com
- Chris Vivion | Executive Producer, Food Network | chris@chrisvivion.com
- Greg Aker | Developer, Ellis Labs | greg@gregaker.net