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Summary

Presentation-tier Web developer with strong CSS skills, over a dozen years’ experience in Web work, and an interdisciplinary background comfortable in creative, technical and business spheres.

• Focus on Web standards, usability, and performance
• Demonstrated competence in both start-up and Fortune 500 environments
• Strong team player with recognized ability to work independently

Technical Skills

• Extensive background in Ajax and its components of HTML/DHTML/XHTML, CSS and JavaScript
• Professional experience with JavaScript libraries including jQuery and Prototype/Scriptaculous
• UI/UX design background
• Experience with server-side technologies such as JSP/Java and ASP
• Cross-disciplinary approach comfortable with the language of business, project management and creative teams
• Very comfortable with graphical tools, especially PhotoShop

Employment Experience

Vistaprint, Lexington, MA

• Currently held. At present, not looking for new job opportunities.

Upromise, Newton, MA
(since 2006, a division of Sallie Mae)

Upromise is a rewards program where partner companies reward members’ purchases by contributing money into the members’ college funds. The partner companies gain customer loyalty, while the members are better able to afford the cost of college.

• Led the presentation-tier development for www.upromise.com, which serves 13 million members with over $500 million in college savings. Developed and documented company’s front-end code standards, and reviewed all presentation-tier code for the site.
• Wrote HTML/CSS/JavaScript/JSP for new pages and new features, blazing trails for other developers. Created re-usable CSS classes and JavaScript functions, and constructed page templates. Facilitated personalization of pages through ATG’s content management system.
• Re-implemented site’s navigation, centralizing 11 disparate and redundant implementations into a single piece of client-side, cache-friendly code that dynamically renders the navigation bar via JavaScript and DOM manipulation.
• Optimized site’s “e-coupon” feature, yielding 52% reduction in CSS size.
• Drove initiative to reduce page load times on high-traffic pages by only fetching content sections when needed (via Ajax calls), and to use more global CSS classes and JS functions.
• On company’s e-commerce site, optimized CSS and HTML standards that were developed by consultants, ensuring correct use of semantic tags and reducing CSS size by 24%.
• Designed user interfaces for internal tools, and implemented them using Ajax calls to fetch JSON from RESTful APIs and then render the results.
• Coded JSP custom tags to allow pages to access applications without needing to embed Java scriptlets into the server-side HTML.
• Developed pages and page standards for Upromise’s e-commerce sites.
• Maintained and extended front-end architecture in Struts and Tiles.
• Designed and implemented re-usable page elements and JavaScript functions to provide cross-browser rounded corners, page-content tabs, and expanding/collapsing modules.
• Worked with graphic designers to establish new standards and templates, and to optimize text and images.
• Mentored junior developers in company standards and best practices.

Best Practical Solutions, Somerville, MA

Best Practical Solutions develops RT, an enterprise-grade ticketing and project management system.

• Redesigned corporate Web site. Developed site navigation, designed graphics and style, coded client- and server-side script, and wrote marketing copy and press releases.
• Redesigned RT’s front-end to separate code from presentation, moving layout elements into a CSS-based module, to allow users to easily customize their site’s look and feel.

Merrill Lynch Intelligent Technologies Group, Cambridge, MA
(formerly D.E. Shaw Financial Technology)

The Intelligent Technologies Group provided design, applications and features to ML’s online brokerage sites and to their internal broker tools site. I served as the chief interface and page designer for the Web development division, developing prototypes, setting site style, and creating site architecture. (Before March 1999, when Merrill Lynch acquired the group, ITG was known as D.E. Shaw Financial Technology, performing similar services to a number of smaller financial companies.)

• Developed brokerage Web sites serving over one million customers (holding $1.7 trillion in assets) and internal sites used by thousands of brokers and service representatives.
• Created prototypes (or supervised the prototyping) for new applications using DHTML, JavaScript, ASP, and VBScript, each demonstrating the feature’s visual presentation and behavior.
• Developed the brokerage sites’ navigational architecture, and implemented the scheme in XML.
• Established site’s visual style and CSS code, and wrote and maintained the CSS style guide. Ensured consistent look across the sites by acting as “style consultant/architect” for online brokerage division.
• Collaborated with marketing and business teams to refine requirements for prototypes, then worked with development teams to ensure that finished applications matched the prototypes.
• Extended existing software via a “white label” re-branding initiative, to allow different sites to share a common code base yet allow each to customize their look-and-feel and site architecture. Provided branding and customization for clients such as Bank of America.
• Designed graphics, icons, and other visual material using PhotoShop and Fireworks. Supervised and trained other artist/designers.
• Administered and maintained the UI demo site where UI prototypes were developed, using IIS and VSS.
• Redesigned online Help system. Wrote copy explaining the “how-to” of brokerage features, organized the entries, and then implemented the system in Tcl.

Looking Glass Technologies, Cambridge, MA

Looking Glass was an interactive entertainment software company specializing in “action titles for the thinking gamer” for the PC platform. I served as a product designer, developing product features, behavior, and user interfaces. Later, as a producer, I provided project management.

• Designed three game projects, and implemented designs using in-house game engines, tools, and scripting languages.
• Designed and coded project Web pages for company Web site.
• Managed hiring process for voice actors.
• Wrote game manuals, reference cards, marketing copy, and other materials for direct publication.
• Wrote scripts for video scenes and dialogue for audio segments.

Education

Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT

Bachelor of Arts with Honors. Double Major in Political Science and History.

Brandeis University, Waltham, MA

Additional coursework in Advanced Java.