Karen Lundgren’s Resume

Profile

Authored rails gems

  • Museum– Gem to list other gems from github, rubygems, and other APIs
  • Paid Up – Allows a model of your choosing (such as users) to subscribe to a plan, which enables features. Integrates Rails with Stripe API
  • Message Train – Rails 4 & 5 Engine providing private and public messaging for any object, such as Users or Groups
  • Social Tokenizer – Tokenizes strings for use in social applications. Return hash with organized tokens such as @mention and #tag

General skills

  • Eager to learn and able to do so quickly and thoroughly — a new programming language in a matter of weeks, a new markup language in a matter of days, a new application in a matter of hours. For example, learned the proprietary language WebCatalog at employer’s request in under a week.
  • Dedicated to thorough mastery of current techniques, and passionate about constantly revising old methods when better ones emerge.
  • Adept at maintaining balance between pragmatism and imagination. Aware of both the over-arching goal and the minute details in a given project.
  • Effective in communicating and blending with people from all walks of life. Enjoys bridging language gaps between people who think in radically different ways but must still work together.

Web-specific skills

  • Skillful in crafting sites using several web development languages, and eager to learn more. Proficient with DHTML (i.e. the integration of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript), PHP, and XML. Familiar with Perl and shell scripting.
  • Interested in and actively learning about many aspects of elegant web design including current W3C recommendations, accessibility for the disabled, separation of structure and style, the semantic web, content management systems, search engine optimization, extensible design, usability, and information architecture.
  • Clever in the combined use of web graphics and well-coded style sheets. Familiar with the principles of visual design, especially as they pertain to the web.
  • Efficient with the software available. Capable of creating a complex site with simplistic tools, but in top form when able to take advantage of the timesaving features of professional software. Experienced with a variety of software environments, including:
    • Macromedia Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks
    • Adobe PhotoShop
    • Various office suites, including MS Office and StarOffice
    • Comfortable and effective working under Windows, Macintosh, or Linux

Education

  • University of New Mexico Albuquerque, NM
    Bachelor of Arts, Religious Studies

    • Graduated cum laude.
  • UNM Continuing Education Albuquerque, NM
    Numerous classes in design for web and new media
  • Simon’s Rock College of Bard Great Barrington, MA
    Associate of Arts, Liberal Arts

    • Graduated with distinction.

Work experience

  • 2005-2008 Santa Fe Greenhouses/High Country Gardens, Santa Fe, NM
    E-Commerce & Database Administrator

    • Maintained, administered, built, updated, and upgraded the Santa Fe Greenhouse family of websites.
    • Created an internal intranet.
    • Made a wide variety of web-based tools to save time for various employees.
    • Married many disparate legacy systems into a functioning whole, including (at first) non-functioning Access databases, excel spreadsheets, an extremely old order fulfillment system with a PICK-3 multivalue database behind it, python scripts, MSSQL and mySQL databases, php scripts, hand-written notes scrawled on slips of paper stuffed in my hands by plant people, etc.
    • Created from these disparate pieces a beautiful and functioning system, now running beautifully and gracefully.
    • Reduced PPC marketing costs to under 11% while dramatically increasing PPC traffic, meaning we spent less money and made a great deal more from PPC when I was in charge
    • Significantly and consistently improved the device independence, standards compliance, security, audience size, profitability, and appearance of all of the projects I came in contact with.
    • Trained staff in web technologies and processes.
    • Worked with vendors and outside programmers to ensure that products being built for us were built to our specifications.
  • 2002-2005 MIS Albuquerque, NM
    Web Developer/Programmer

    • Produced usable, device-independant websites matching provided graphic designs.
    • Programmed a wide variety of dynamic applications using PHP/MySQL/Apache, including:
      • Shopping cart
      • User registration systems
      • Project management systems
      • Multiple listing services
      • Custom content management systems
    • Dramatically increased internal productivity by designing, building, and maintaining a sophistocated extranet to track many types of internal data that were previously difficult or impossible to find.
    • Provided internal training in CSS, XHMTL, PHP, mySQL, Apache, and accessibility.
  • 1996-2000 Serendipity Carlsbad, NM
    Contributing Editor

    • Managed a small toy store’s print newsletter. Responsible for layout, graphics, and content. Strove to produce informative content that was interesting and intelligent, yet still accessible to customers with a sixth-grade reading level.
    • Maintained web site and handled search engine submissions. Repaired and maintained computer equipment.
    • Succeeded in making adult customers want to read what was, essentially, a four-page advertisement about toys, through the careful use of informal language and fun graphics.
    • Edited articles written by others, for grammar as well as content.
  • 1999 New Mexico Tech Socorro, NM
    Calculus Grader
    • Evaluated and graded first-semester calculus papers for one class of approximately sixty students. Clarified students’ errors where necessary, with detailed comments to lead them to the correct answers.
    • Analyzed the degree of students’ overall understanding of course material for the professor so that she could adjust her lesson plan accordingly.
  • 1997 Simon’s Rock College of Bard Great Barrington, MA
    Residence Assistant
    • Served as a mediator and communicator between students and administration.
      Enforced college policies regarding issues of student life.
    • Filled the role of an older sibling to exceptionally young college students.
    • Planned and implemented school-sponsored events.

References furnished upon request.