Summary
A versatile and creative web designer/developer, photographer, and writer with eight years of hands-on technical experience.
- Web design and development: Six years developing expert skills with HTML/XHTML, CSS, PDF, website management, and various Web-based content management systems (CMS), and familiarity with XML, Javascript, PHP, UNIX, MySQL, relational databases, and web server administration.
- Photography and digital imaging: Five years of experience with traditional photography and darkroom processes, digital photography, digital image processing, vector and bitmap graphics.
- Publishing: Skilled writer and editor, published online and in print periodicals.
- Project management: Five years managing multiple, simultaneous web and print projects.
- Printing: Experienced in all areas of electronic prepress including preflight, high-end scanning, production of film and proofs, and troubleshooting type, images, and page layouts.
- Applications: Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat, and PageMaker; Easy PHP; Macromedia Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and Homesite; Microsoft Access, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, and Word; Quark Xpress
Experience
February 2004–present
- Lead web activities for an IT capacity-building project equipping selected radio stations in Mali with Internet connections and digital audio editing stations, and training staff to create digital content.
- Research and evaluate CMS and identify the one best suited to the projects’ requirements.
- Design, build, and administrate Geekcorps Mali’s website (http://mali.geekcorps.org) to test the selected CMS (SPIP). The site shares project background, major milestones, and technical findings.
- Design and build websites managed with SPIP for selected radio stations, so station staff may easily promote their programs and share local news. With team, develop SPIP training for staff.
- Design and build a website to encourage collaboration in Malian radio community by providing technical information and other resources; compiling newsfeeds; and hosting community forums.
- Wrote large portions of orientation manual for in-country volunteers, edited additional material.
Freelance Web Consultant and Photographer
February 2004–present
- Design and build websites for a variety of clients:
- Draft website information architecture, design look-and-feel, create original graphics
- Select and edit photos; scan from prints or negatives as needed
- Write and edit English-language content; organize, style, and place text in all languages
- Code web pages and style sheets, validating them for adherence to industry standards
- Consult on domain name registration, web hosting, search engine optimization, etc.
- Photograph variety of subjects (trainees, building facilities, students, etc.) for print and Web.
- Clients and partners include:
- Association Malienne de Recherche-Action pour le Développement (AMRAD)
- Centre National de la Promotion de l’Artisanat
- Ministère du Tourisme et de l’Artisanat de la République du Mali
- l’Assemblée Nationale du Mali, as subcontractor to AMRAD
- American International School of Bamako
General Manager, American Commissary Services Association of Mali
February 2004–March 2005
- Manage all operations of a small grocery store and video club. Responsibilities include:
- Order and receive shipments; oversee pricing and stocking; manage inventory
- Manage accounts in two currencies and Association membership records
- Report monthly to Board of Directors and semi-annually to the Association
- Supervise the Assistant Manager and coordinate volunteers
- Revived community support for store, which nearly closed in early 2004. Accomplishments include:
- In two months, corrected almost one-third of the 29 major problems found in FY2003 audit
- Doubled annual rate of container shipments from previous year
- Documented standard operating procedures in manual for future managers
July 2002–September 2003
- Coordinated production of digital conversion projects such as Selections From the Naxi Manuscript Collection and collaborative projects with the national libraries of Spain and Brazil:
- Participated in selection of collections for conversion
- Assessed the status of access aids (catalogs, etc.) and converted them to digital format
- With conservation staff, assessed condition of items (books, manuscripts, etc.) and their readiness for conversion
- Developed and documented technical specifications for conversion of images and text
- With General Counsel, assessed copyright status of items
- Conducted quality review of graphic and textual digital materials
- Helped develop standards and requirements for collaborative projects with foreign partners.
- Participated in User-Centered Design subcommittee, including Section 508 working group.
March–September 2003
- Enhanced visitors’ experiences and educated them about the National Zoo’s large mammals.
- Introduced conservation issues; encouraged visitors to help save habitats and endangered species.
- Employed interpretive techniques and objects, such as teeth, skin, horns, and tusks, to encourage visitors of all ages to think about the animals’ biology, behaviors, and natural habitats.
Web Group Manager,
QRC (division of ORC Macro)
April 1998–July 2002
- Managed simultaneous production of 5–10 database-backed web applications varying widely in scale:
- Negotiated scopes of work with Federal and nonprofit clients
- Managed budgets of up to $250,000/year; prepared cost estimates and tracked expenses
- Gathered system requirements; analyzed user profiles and tasks; translated needs into user-centered interfaces and optimal technical solutions
- Built dynamic web applications with ColdFusion and SQL Server programmers
- Guided systems through quality control process and on-site deployment
- Deployed systems on site or on client web servers with network support specialists
- Led group of eight web project managers, designers, developers, and specialists, coaching and evaluating employees’ performances. Represented web group to senior management and promoted web group services company-wide. Backed up Manager of Business Services.
- Implemented standard workflow for group, incorporating user-centered design, Web standards compliance, and code reviews. Co-wrote documentation of group process, which became a key part of a company-wide movement toward standardized software development processes.
- Hired as Technical Writer; promoted to Web Editor, then Manager of Web Development, then Web Group Manager.
- Awarded “Employee of the Year” in 2000 and “Employee of the Month” in April 1999.
October 1996–April 1998
- Produced printer-ready film, 4-color proofs, blueprints, etc., for quick-turnaround service bureau.
- Produced high-end scans of photographs, slides, and art; cleaned and color-corrected digital images.
- Created service bureau’s first technical documentation resources.
- Quickly developed operating and troubleshooting proficiency with technical equipment.
- Took responsibility for service bureau on evening shift and trained new employees.
Publications
“MINERVA: Archiving Digital Material at the Library of Congress,” Slavic and Eastern European Information Resources (Haworth Information Press), March 2004. Outlined issues involved with the archiving of born-digital materials for Internet Column.
Mali: Cuisine and Culture. Published eighteen photographs (35mm film and digital) of Malian food, landscape, and architecture in cookbook of traditional Malian recipes produced for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. (June 2003)
Education and Training
- Black-and-white darkroom photography courses; Smithsonian Institution, 2000–2003
- UNIX for Beginners; Library of Congress, 2003
- Beginning and Advanced Microsoft Project; For Your Information, Inc., 2002
- Supervisory Training: The Supervisor’s Role, Performance Evaluations, Interviewing, Time Management; ORC Macro, 2001
- Fast Track to ColdFusion; Figleaf Software, 2000
- Presenting Data and Information; Edward Tufte, 1999
- Publications Specialist Certificate, George Washington University, 1996
- B.A., English Literature, Davidson College, 1994
Interests
- Weblogs and personal publishing (Movable Type, Typepad, Blogger, Wordpress, Textpattern, etc.)
- Web community projects (Craigslist, Flickr, Fray, The Mirror Project, Del.icio.us, Wikipedia)
- Technology in developing countries (the Digital Divide, “leapfrogging” technology, etc.)
- Open-source/free software movement
- Photography: black-and-white and color; film and digital; 35mm and medium format
- Writing: creative nonfiction, personal narrative, fiction