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- About Me
- General Stuff
- Tech Stuff
- Work History
- Current Interests
- Tools
Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design;
Secondary Major in Bible; Minor in Intercultural Studies
Northwestern College, St. Paul, MN; May 2004
A dozen or so books (and any other resource I can access) on PHP, Javascript, Java, Ruby on Rails, Android and iOS
I am a web developer and graphic designer originally from Minnesota. I studied in St. Paul at a small liberal arts college. The focus of my major was on print design, but after graduation, I made it my full pursuit to work in web development. After years of freelancing, I moved to Wake Forest, NC, with my family in 2007 to pursue a seminary degree. At this time, I began working at Kenosis Designs, a small design and marketing firm where I found my passion for Open Source CMS systems. Over time I grew to love application frameworks, such as CodeIgniter and Ruby on Rails even more than CMS systems. I am now fascinated by software engineering and design patterns and currently work at CrossComm Inc. in Durham, where I am a User Interface Developer and work across the web, Android and iOS platforms.
Personal Skills
- Quick to Learn: Picks up new skills and new software with ease and ambition
- Solid Computer Skills: Extensive use of a variety of computer software in both Windows and Mac environments
- Responsible and Reliable: Strong work ethic with motivation for excellence
- Interpersonal Skills: Works well with others, good communication skills
- Business Experience: Years of experience in small business
- Corporate Experience: Internship at Northwestern College Public Relations Department
Ambition & Versatility
- Inspired to start two small businesses in design-related fields
- Quick to learn new programs and adapt to new methods
Interpersonal Communication
- Intercultural Relations Internship: Significant time spent in eight foreign countries adapting to numerous cultures and peoples
- Student Development: Multiple jobs that required strong teamwork and camraderie between fellow staff members, as
well as promoting staff unity through a leadership position - Teen Mania Ministries Internship: Classes taken focusing on teamwork, character and integrity development, in addition to
promoting strong work ethics and diligence
Web Technologies
As a web developer, I am constantly working to master a variety of technologies to meet different needs of clients. The following list is made up of some of the technologies I deal with regularly.
- HTML
- CSS
- PHP
- XML
- Javascript
- Actionscript 3
- RonR
- Android
- iOS
- Google Analytics Certified**
Adobe Creative Suite
An artist needs his tools... I have expertise in the use of many tools in the Adobe Creative Suite:
- Photoshop
- Illustrator
- InDesign
- Dreamweaver
- Flash
- Fireworks
- Acrobat
- Flex
Server Management
In order to be an effective web developer, it is essential to master tools for managing a server. I am comfortable working on the command
line and with other server management software:
- Command Line/Terminal
- WHM
- Cpanel
CrossComm Inc:
User Interface Developer, UI development for web, Android & iOS (’11)TheeDesign Inc.
Project Manager & Web Developer, website production, project management, client training (’11)North Star Marketing-Communications:
Associate Programmer, web development & server maintenance (’10)Kenosis Designs:
Front End Developer, website production, project management, client training (’08-’10)Associate Designer, website design, cms theme, client training (’07-’08)
Safety Center, Inc.:
Executive Assistant, maintenance for company website, data management (’06-’07)Screw-Ups for God:
Website design and maintenance, print and multimedia design (’06-’07)Ben & Vee Design:
Co-owner of a small business geared toward design contracting and freelancing (’04-’07)Northwestern College Public Relations:
Design intern who co-developed all published material for the college (’04)I strive to bridge the gap between programming and design
Wanting to find a way to use my artistic talent to serve people, I pursued Graphic Design. It is what I earned my B.S. in. However, I have found that to be a good web developer,
one really needs to also be a good programmer. Initially diving into various web CMS systems, I was hooked by the power of dynamic websites. I taught myself PHP, Javascript, Java and Ruby on Rails,
in order to dive futher into this world. The landscape of web development frameworks that follow excellent design patterns such as MVC has driven me to love to write code even more. I am now working on
Andriod and Objective-C for native mobile development.
But I am also interested in these fantastic topics
- Accessibility
WAI-ARIA, Internal Linking, and other tools to allow people with disabilities to engave with the web. - Analytics
Google Analytics is a killer tool. Everyone should learn to use it. - Search Engine Optimization
Why have a cool website if no one can find it?
SEO is likely the most critical... and most neglected aspect of web development.
Quality Technologies
I have spent considerable time among the following e-commerce and content management systems:
- KCMS (Kenosis Content Management System)
- Exponent Content Management System
- Drupal Content Management System
- WordPress Publishing Platform
- E-Commerce Templates
- Love Mac, Windows works in a bind
Proponent of Open Source
I believe in open source, and I am passionate about content management systems - Specifically, good ones. I have used and tested many, and while more crop up each day, I believe the best CMS available is Exponent. Therefore I am a recent addition to the Exponent CMS Development Team. My focus currently is documentation, to help get the word out about this incredible tool.
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