Bio & Resume
A Brief History
With a background that combines diverse technology interests with user experience and design, my career has been focused on producing a wide range of tech solutions while managing and mentoring the complex groups of people who build them.
I founded Bean Creative in 1997 and grew it to a seven-figure annual revenue digital agency that ranked as one of the top in the DC area, where I led teams creating digital solutions at the web, mobile, desktop, and device level, across a diverse landscape of systems integrations and strategies. As agency chief, my role ran the gamut from budgeting, planning, marketing, and new business development to strategy, oversight, team leadership, and mentoring. In our work, we developed interconnected web and mobile solutions that worked hand-in-hand with critical business systems, as well as guided our clients’ path on security, technical infrastructure, usability, design, and accessibility. Along the way, we won quite a few awards, including eight Webby Awards.
When the global pandemic shook up just about everything in 2020, I sold the company and took a break, during which I wrote and published multiple science fiction novels (the tech nerd in me never disappeared, of course!). Returning to technology and IT strategy work in 2023, I accepted a position with the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), known as the center for association leadership. There, my work provides a critical strategic bridge between a wide array of technical solutions ranging from web and mobile platforms to internal network systems and databases, as well as subsystems addressing a variety of organizational needs.
My Core Tech Beliefs
One Size Does Not Fit All
Every organization is different, and each one deserves the time and attention to assess its needs accurately and without a predisposition to one technical solution or another. I believe it’s critical to carefully analyze each organization’s needs, requirements, internal skill sets, resources, budget, experience, partnerships, and – most of all – expectations, before determining a technology solution.
No Tech is an Island
Technology that can’t interconnect to other technology is like a person stranded on an island. It can survive in a limited way, perhaps even for a long time, but it isn’t doing everything it can to advance the organization’s cause or meet its needs.
Form and Function are Intertwined
If you’ve ever struggled with the interface to a website or computer program, you understand that the user experience does matter. Any technical solution, whether network, programming code, cloud service, or whatever, eventually will have these warm-blooded walking computers called humans using it. It’s important that the user experience and interface is considered right from the planning stages.
Past Clients
American Red Cross / Children’s Museum of Indianapolis / U.S. Army / Verizon / American Society of Association Executives / PBS / Telecommunications Industry Association / Microsoft / National Wildlife Foundation / Apple / Pengiun Random House / Gensler / National Association of Broadcasters / National Geographic / Smithsonian Air & Space Museum / Tennessee Performing Arts Center / HarperCollins / Johns Hopkins / “Weird Al” Yankovic / World Wildlife Fund / INOVA Hospital System / Entomological Society of America / Renwick Gallery / Consumer Electronics Show / Dr. Seuss / AskAPatient / Fortune / George Mason University / OpenSecrets / WGBH / Certification Board for Nuclear Cardiology / Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood / WETA / AlexRenew / American Association of Perodontologists / American Association of Museums / Detroit Institute for Arts / American Political Science Association / Cable in the Classroom / American Immigration Lawyers Association / Houghton Mifflin Harcourt / National Association for Music Education / National Coffee Association / Hatch Early Learning / Department of Labor / American Quarter Horse Association / Library of Congress / Cosmetic Executive Women / Battelle / National Restaurant Association / Case Foundation / Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International / George Mason’s Gunston Hall / K12 / Airports Council International / Community Associations Institute / American College of Veterinary Surgeons / American Society of Travel Agents / Smithsonian American Art Museum / Cooper Hewitt / Maryland Public Television
Want to Know More?
And for a bit more personal info on me, keep scrolling…
Et Cetera…
Since all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, I have a number of hobbies and interests outside of the tech world. A glimpse at the back half of my office is pretty enlightening in that regard. I’m a drummer and guitar player, an author of nine novels (and counting), and I have a somewhat unhealthy fascination with Godzilla (the Godzilla painting on my top shelf was done by my youngest kid for my birthday). Other things I’ve been known to spend perhaps way too much time with include The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Star Trek (TOS), Rush, and I’ve put in quite a few hours building cosplay components for myself and members of my family.
