Thanks for visiting my professional portfolio. Along the right-hand side you will see a list of projects I have been involved in. Click on each to learn more.

I have over 6 years of experience in the field of web design and development. The professional positions I have held are listed below in chronological order. My resume and references are available upon request. If you would like additional information on my experience, please feel free to contact me here.

My Experience

Lead Programmer Analyst
City University • June, 2003 - Present

In my two years as Lead Programmer Analyst at City University, I have managed the development and design of our web portal for faculty, staff and students, as well as specialty applications that span across the web portal and public website. I was the primary designer and developer of our flagship LIVE Advisor application, which enables prospective and current students to chat with a City University advisor or support personnel in real-time through their web browser. Developing this system required skills that spanned multiple areas of expertise including graphical user-interface design, Flash, Flash Remoting, ASP.NET, and SQL Server. My other projects at City University include designing our original, custom web portal using a CSS-based layout, implementing a content management system for publishing web pages in our portal (PeopleSoft ERP technology, Java-based) and designing and developing numerous web-based tools for departments to use to manage student data and accomplish administrative tasks (ASP.NET).

One of my primary objectives during my time at City University has been to push my team and the rest of the University towards using web standards: separating content from presentation, using transitional XHTML and CSS-based layouts and educating my colleagues on various accessibility concerns with our sites. I have implemented a standards-based design on our web portal, and am intimately involved in the design and implementation of a new public website for the school using web standards that adhere to accessibility requirements.

Web Designer/Developer
Western Washington University • October, 2000 - May, 2003

I developed my skills in web design and development by working with the Academic Technology and User Services (ATUS) group as a student and contract employee for over three years. During that time, I worked on several high-profile projects including the current WWU website, the MyWestern portal, the Blackboard system, and numerous departmental sites.

My most significant accomplishment during my tenure with ATUS was co-designing and constructing the current WWU website with Dave Allen and the Admissions Department. I was responsible for creating many of the graphical elements and aspects of the layout (HTML, CSS and JavaScript), implementing all of the technical specifications (dynamic content using ASP.NET, XML data-driven Flash content), designing the navigational taxonomy, and building a user experience in accordance with the University’s goals (overall look-and-feel). My other projects at Western included being the primary designer and developer of the Human Resources web site (including the job posting engine which uses ASP to deliver dynamic content), and the ATUS web site (template and graphic design).

My Professional Mission

My mission with my work is to continue to learn as much as possible about the field of web design and development and to apply that knowledge through new and exciting means. I realize that row after row of project descriptions, screen shots and superfluous claims can only tell you so much about me as a professional in the web design and development field. I thought it would be appropriate to explain where I’m coming from and where I would like to go in order to provide a more well-rounded picture of my abilities and what I might be able to bring to the table.

I have always been interested in design. Drawing and painting have been a hobby of mine since I was a kid, so I naturally gravitated to working with the web from a design perspective at the outset. As I became more adept at designing websites, I gained an interest in the code behind my pages and started experimenting with client and server scripting languages, such as JavaScript and ASP.

As my skills increased and I gained the ability to produce good website designs AND enable them with advanced functionality, I came to really appreciate the profession I was entering. I experience great pride in working with clients in producing excellent, well-thought-out websites. I enjoy staying abreast of the latest developments and technologies in my field and feel that I can learn how to produce anything related to the web given a good book and a little time.

I have many hopes for where future work may take me. I would like to continue to grow as a designer and stay up on the latest design techniques. I am interested in the organization of content and the “findability” of information on the web and would like to expand my knowledge in this arena. I am also fascinated by so-called “rich internet applications” and the gains they can provide to businesses and their users.

I love working with the web and want to continue doing so for the foreseeable future. So far, I have gained a large breadth of experience in everything that is involved in designing, developing and deploying websites. I hope to be able to continue to apply this experience and gain more in my future endeavors.