Me on a Bigass bridge

About Me

My first website was a fan site dedicated to 90's Grunge rock legends, Nirvana; I was 13 years old and had no idea what I was getting myself into. Armed with a 14.4kbps modem, blink tags and a copious amount of Mt. Dew, I was ready to take on the web.

Throughout the early 2000s, I worked as a freelance designer and eventually added the dark arts of PHP and .NET development to my repertoire while studying at Western Michigan University. During college my course work was focused on both technical concepts of programming and the fundamentals of Information Architecture and Project Management. I worked several side jobs during this time focusing on back-end systems and database architecture, UI design and Front End development.

In 2006, I moved to Chicago and began working at a small agency where I had many roles from Information Architect to back-end CMS developer to template designer. Eventually, as the company's business model shifted, I settled into the primary role front-end developer / designer. During this time I had the opportunity to work on projects for notable companies such as: Ford Motor Company, The University of Miami, Rush University Medical Center, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Hyatt and The Baltimore Museum of Art.

In 2009 I began working for a web-based content management platform for the Radio industry. As a front-end designer, I worked with a small team to improve the build process for the company's consumer-facing websites and helped mentor peers, prototype conceptual designs and introduce modern web standards and best practices to the company's software.

I currently work at Social Media Management start up, Sprout Social, where I design, develop and prototype new features.

When I am not in front of the monitor I enjoy traveling, photography, craft beer, cooking and exploring new and interesting foods from around the world. I am also an avid runner, having participated in numerous races from 5ks to a Marathon and enjoy spending my summers in beautiful Chicago cheering on the White Sox.

Areas of Focus

  • HTML5 / CSS3
  • UX Design Principals
  • JavaScript / jQuery / Prototype
  • PHP Development
  • CodeIgniter
  • WordPress Customization
  • Social Media Marketing

Visit my Portfolio to view some of my favorite projects