Iris Mars

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Agricultural Research Service
Office of the Chief Information Officer
Application Development Branch
5601 Sunnyside Avenue
Beltsville, MD 20705
October 2004 - present

• With a team, built a replacement for a financial system. Developed most of the more complex data entry forms and a few of the reports. Assisted with planning, scheduling, communicating with the customer, eliciting requirements and clarification of them. Built system on time and with more completed than expected. Received cash award from highly satisfied customers.
• Assumed responsibility for enhancing an executive status application that had a long list of unaddressed issues and poor customer satisfaction. Addressed those issues, improved communication with the customer, and changed our organization's image from being one which couldn’t do anything to one which was responsive to their needs.
• Designed and built a replacement for a library system. Developed the new database model, mapped the old database entities and characteristics onto the new model, developed conversion scripts, developed forms, developed reports. Edited a training PowerPoint presentation. Presented the new system to the customers.
• Identified, tracked, and coordinated all work on one of our applications. Produced status reports to management. Communicated with customers to keep them informed of upcoming changes.
• Created, enhanced, tested, and debugged Oracle database applications using Oracle Forms Builder and Oracle Reports Builder. Wrote PL/SQL program units. Reviewed and tuned PL/SQL code for improved performance.
• Wrote and edited requirements documents. Developed a standard for a set of documentation. Documented existing systems. Edited user manuals, PowerPoint presentations, standard operating procedures, Records of Meeting, test plans, communications outgoing to customers, project schedules. Created brochures and technical tip sheets. Wrote instructions for configuring software for upgrades.
• Wrote scripts for creating and modifying database objects (functions, procedures, triggers, tables, views, etc.). Tuned database queries.
• Assisted with the successful migration of Oracle database applications from versions 6i to 10g, and from 10g to 10gR2: made the necessary changes to the forms and reports to enable them to migrate. Edited migration instructions.
• Monitored the branch’s problem-reporting mailbox; handled user access issues; investigated customer-reported production problems and corrected them; communicated with the customers to resolve problems.
• Provided technical assistance and direction to co-workers.
• Participated on an intra-agency "Green Team"; promoted energy awareness and conservation within the branch.
• Beta-tested the new information systems security awareness course; made recommendations for its improvement.
• Shared information from training courses with the branch: wrote "training briefs" and posted them in SharePoint.
• Received "Certificate of Merit" award for work on the replacement financial system. Received "On-the-Spot" award and Outstanding Performance evaluation for work on the executive status system.

Department of Veterans Affairs
810 Vermont Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20420
January 1986 - February 1996

• Wrote and modified computer application programs in COBOL and Pro*COBOL on the VAX/VMS platform; wrote and modified associated DCL command procedures. Developed programs using Oracle tools such as SQL*Plus, SQL*Forms, SQL*Loader, SQL*Reportwriter, SQL*Menu, and PL/SQL; developed programs on both VAX/VMS and ULTRIX platforms. Wrote c-shell procedures on ULTRIX. Developed program modules for data-entry, database queries, production of recurring reports, data conversion, and module selection.
• Wrote COBOL or Pro*COBOL programs or used SQL*Loader to load data extracted from the data sources of applications being migrated and upgraded; loaded data from sequential files into Oracle database. Wrote scripts in SQL*Plus to identify invalid data for further clean-up; wrote scripts in PL/SQL to reformat invalid or inconsistently-formatted data.
• Designed relational databases. Identified entities, characteristics, relationships; determined primary keys, foreign keys, indexes; wrote scripts for creating them. Calculated table size and projected growth for assisting the DBA with planning physical database space.
• Analyzed requirements for new applications from informal requests from the end-users. Drafted project work assignment documents, detailing the requirements for creating or modifying an application or one of its components. Outlined the steps needed for self-management or for directing junior employees. Estimated and negotiated target dates for completion of a project; coordinated with others outside our immediate group to ensure successful completion of the project.
• Worked with and provided technical guidance to different customer groups: budget analysts, real property specialists, human resource specialists, and user analysts. Investigated problems as they occurred; corrected problems, if needed, or referred the problem to the appropriate individual or organization; and diplomatically guided the customers toward correcting the occasional human error.
• Rewrote application modules to more effectively use operating system and database management system resources. Improved program performance by re-writing programs using structured programming;
• Participated on upgrade and migration teams; performed assigned part of team effort.
• Trained customer representatives on how to use their applications.
• Trained junior programmers on how to use application development tools. Demonstrated software packages; answered technical questions.
• Wrote user guides and application documentation.
• Wrote draft data naming standards, application security summary, menu standardization guidelines, guidelines for using network printers.
• Received two "Unsung Heroine" awards for outstanding service to Human Resources.

Maryland Native Plant Society
P.O. Box 4877
Silver Spring, MD 20914

Currently

• Maintain the site's calendar on a monthly and as-needed basis. Regularly check for obsolete content and broken links. Edit and tag new content. Crop and adjust images.
• Monitor web mailboxes and filter and route mail. Respond to requests for information.
• Communicate with the hosting service provider to resolve technical issues with the web site.
• Work with the stakeholders to clarify what should and should not be on the web site.
• Administer our Facebook page.

April 2010 - June 2010

• Migrated the static site to a content management system which integrates member management, e-news, e-mail blasts, on-line registration, on-line payment collection, event management, and our content. (More Maryland Native Plant Society web site information).

January 2010 - March 2010

• Worked with the stakeholders to coordinate the different methods we're using for communicating with the members: e-mail, Facebook, Meetup, print, and the web site.
• Set up a Facebook page for the organization.
• Changed the web site's color theme to coordinate with the above media. (More Maryland Native Plant Society web site information).

September 2004

• Redesigned the Web site: obtained, edited, and colorized organization's logo; designed page layout to include sidebar navigation on all pages; coded all pages to the new design; removed outdated files; reorganized the information; and ensured that the pages are presented and coded consistently and are standards-compliant. Created index and site map pages. Organized our collection of links into sets of related resources. (More Maryland Native Plant Society web site information).

August 2003 - September 2004

• Assisted the web site manager with maintaining the web site's content.
• Created new sections on the site for individual chapter information and for plant survey data and species lists.

Howard County Hadassah
P.O. Box 238
Simpsonville, MD 21150
October 2004 - May 2008

• Designed and implemented the organization's first Web site.
• Maintained and hosted the site until its move in 2008 to a content management system (More Howard County Hadassah web site information).
• Migrated the original site to the National organization's content management system.

Nevey Shalom
12218 Torah Lane
Bowie, MD 20715
January 2003 - June 2006

• Created a replacement for an older and defunct version of the site. Designed a new layout, a new color scheme, and new graphics. Organized and expanded the site's content. Coded the entire site. Set up site's account with a new hosting service and registered the domain; installed and tested the site.
• Maintained the site until another volunteer assumed responsibility for it. (More Nevey Shalom web site information).