About Me

I am a developer with a focus on human computer interaction / usability heuristics. This study is how I know that by using this (admittedly loud!) background color, I have caught your attention due to a usability principle called the Von Restorff effect. I have been learning and refining my skills with regards to web development and usability since the late 90s; when the web was a baby and I was too (okay actually a teen at the time). Now I seek opportunities to create technology on the web, mobile, and otherwise that I can apply my (cue Liam Neeson voice) very particular set of skills.

HPN Systems

Chief Technology Officer

September 2016 - Present

HPN transitioned from being a mostly offline paper report and consulting business since it's inception in 1983, to being a leader in the Wellness Technology industry, for its many clients (over 1.5M users at the time of this writing). Our health and wellness tracking and recommendation software is being utilized by professional sports teams, major universities, hospitals, and corporations across the country.

Fast Forward Academy

Chief Technology Officer

December 2011 - March 2016

I came on board as employee #4, and the 1st technology employee of this e-learning startup. We now have over 150,000 users, several million in annual revenues, and a full web development team I recruited.

Kaplan University

Lead UX/UI Developer

May 2008 - December 2011

Was responsible for leading the front end development of the organization's Professional Education division websites. This included the design, the development, and the directing of the User Interface Development Team. This position utilized all of my programming skills (especially with regards to usability, UX/UI), SEO, management skills, inter-departmental presenation and collaboration and more.

Sleeping Giant Studios

Search Marketing Manager

November 2005 - April 2008

Was responsible for heading up this agency's consulting service of performance based search engine marketing services. We offered search engine optimization services with guaranteed pricing. We worked with several major brands including Mathews Inc., McPherson Guitars, Autumn Records, Savings.com, and many more. My unique skillset of strong front end HTML, CSS, and Javascript programming skills were heavily utilized in this position as we would often make website re-structuring changes to help optimize the sites while not impacting the website's original appearance or functionality.

ExploreWisconsin.com

Web Developer / Designer

January 2003 - October 2005

Designed and programmed web pages and full e-commerce sites for the organization's 1500+ clients. I was responsible for all aspects of design, programming, and SEO. I owe a significant portion of my understanding of search marketing, and e-ecommerce business to this position, as I was awarded the pleasure of working with several industry best minds to learn from

Tools Of The Trade

Below are programming languages, and skills I bring to the table.

  • HTML5

    I have been coding in HTML5 since the early days of mobile in 2011.

  • CSS/LESS/SASS

    I've been building websites with CSS since the early 2000s, and have been creating "syntasically awesome style sheets" with SASS for several years as well.

  • PHP/MYSQL

    I've been coding with "LAMP" since the early 2000s. Having built several major software platforms including those used at Kaplan, and Fast Forward Academy, I know how to leverage these open source technologies to handle high traffic and usage.

  • Python/DJANGO

    I have coded with Python since the mid 2000s, and have built numerous freelance web projects using it. Including most recently a web application for users to select artwork they would like ordered on custom frames and sizes.

  • Platforms

    I have built applications against several major cloud platforms (Amazon and Microsoft), and numerous websites against Amazon Web Services, Authorize.net, and hold certifications in several PHP frameworks (including Zend).

  • Project Management

    I am a certified SCRUM Master, and have led (and recruited) many developers over the years. I work well with people, and know how to develop applications in a way teams can work together for the greater good using industry standards and best practices.

Now You Know Me

If you feel you have a position or project that you'd like to talk to me about, I would love to hear from you!