On Sunday we’re going to have two very special workshop tracks at WordCamp DC: Introduction to Web Development and Tools for Businesses. We have some amazing presenters leading these workshops and are certain they will be awesome deep dives into some fundamental topics. We hope you’ll join us for a great in-depth workshop experience!
Introduction to Web Development
Intro to HTML
HTML is very literally the building block of the internet and a key piece of all websites. Karen Wolf has been writing HTML since 1996 and manages literally dozens of websites. She’ll help you orient yourself to the basics!
Intro to CSS
CSS adds style (think colors, formatting, etc.) to pages on the internet. Art Director Ellen Amaral is a designer who codes and knows all of the ins and outs of how the code we write creates the designs we see online. She’ll make sure you walk away with a solid understanding of how to write some basic CSS!
Intro to JavaScript
JavaScript is one of the things that can add interactivity to websites and is increasingly becoming a vital part of the frameworks on which most of the internet is built (including WordPress!). Zac Gordon is a well-known WordPress teacher who has recently specialized in JavaScript. He will help break down JavaScript into bite-sized parts that will help you get started with this powerful language.
Tools for Business
Beginning WordPress
WordPress is a tool that is frequently used by small businesses, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out how to manage your content or what is possible to do with your website. Veteran trainer Benjamin Bradley has worked with many many small business owners in getting them up to speed with what they need to do with WordPress and he’ll help get you oriented too.
Beginning Marketing
If you don’t share what you’re doing effectively, no one will never know what services or opportunities you may offer. Lauren Jeffcoat has worn many hats including digital strategist, web designer, and project manager, all of which have given her unique insight and expertise on marking. In this workshop she’ll discuss some powerful strategies to maximize your site and gain a bigger online audience.
Beginning Branding/Design
Many business owners or individuals whose expertise is in a particular area often feel stuck when it comes to creating branding and design that accurately and professionally represent their companies or themselves. Ashleigh Axios is a Creative Director and strategist who has deep experience in teaching design. She’ll cover lots of ways to help you feel un-stuck when making branding and design decisions.
Please Note:
If you are planning to attend a workshop, please bring a fully charged laptop computer as many of the workshops will be interactive with activities to help you learn while you’re there.
Andrew Nacin is a Lead Developer of WordPress. He’s led major releases, mentored contributors, and spearheaded new development. He has strong feelings about the core philosophies of WordPress, among them “decisions, not options” — software should be opinionated in lieu of burdening the user with too many options. In January 2014, he joined the U.S. Digital Service at the White House, where he works to improve the usefulness and reliability of the country’s most important digital services.
Ellen Amaral is an Art Director at Made by We, where she leads branding and web design projects for non-profit and social enterprise organizations. She is excited by the collision of design with content strategy, user experience and development. Ellen leverages a BA in Communication Design from the University of Pennsylvania and front end development skills from General Assembly to take design out of its silo and into an integrated space.
Tkeyah Lake is a Senior Account Executive at public affairs firm, Banner Public Affairs. There she develops and executes social media, communications and advertising plans for a variety of industries including defense, technology, and advocacy campaigns. She also serves as a reservist at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, providing specialized digital and social media services in emergency situations.
Adam wrote games in assembly code, and then applets and of course the obligatory CMS in Java when Netscape Navigator ruled the web – eventually embracing WordPress as his platform of choice. He is a WordPress Core committer and works on the WordPress security team. He is currently helping lead an effort to improve core JavaScript. Adam is a Lead Web Engineer at 10up where he helps make the web better by finely crafting websites & tools for content creators. Adam loves long rafting trips, playing mbira, travel, taking walks and tending his over-sized garden.
You may know my face, but I’m pretty sure you know my voice. I’m Benjamin Bradley, and for the past 20+ years, I have been training and assisting small business owners to take their skills to the next level. Over the years, I have generated thousands of hours of business and technical training materials. I’m currently building a community for freelancers to learn, grow, and develop their WordPress, web design, development, and business skills at WPStudio.com.
The very first website Marissa ever worked on was for a small university department. The only browser she had access to was Lynx. Since then, she has worked in nearly every aspect of web design and development. She has worked with non-profit organizations, the government, and creative agencies. Today, she is an independent consultant, focusing on digital analytics to enhance the user experience and website conversions.
Tori Peterson is the web writer-editor of the National Park Service’s new training website, the Common Learning Portal (CLP). She trains, assists and supports the site’s content authors and provides user help to end users. When Tori isn’t online, she’s frolicking in nature.
Sal started programming on a Commodore 64 when he was eight years old. He went on to become a web developer and educator specializing in WordPress. Sal’s past also includes work as a beach photographer, magician/juggler, and high school calculus teacher. He contributes to WordPress core, the Genesis framework, and various other open source projects.
Savannah is an information management professional living in Washington, DC who works directly with clients to understand their long-term vision for their content and then translates this into content type definitions and migration plans. She melds her passion for words with an analytical eye to bring a big picture point of view to content strategy, data management and archival & library sciences.
I am a WordPress Consultant, a life long student, a husband and father. I have been developing themes and plugins for WordPress since 2.8 (give or take a point release,) with a strong focus on simple, specific, niche functionality. Most everything I know about code comes from the WordPress community which is why I try to give back as much as I can. I love the WordPress platform and the community!
Ryan Sholin, Director of Product and Growth at Chalkbeat, has made it his mission to help professional journalists get the tools, skills, and inspiration they need to inform their communities on any platform. A former investigative reporter for the Oakland Tribune, online editor for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, product strategist at GateHouse Media, and director of product management at Gannett, Ryan was also a co-founder of Wired Journalists and a Knight News Challenge winner for ReportingOn.
Rebecca Wyatt is a skilled trainer, web content strategist, and product owner who is focused on empowering teams and maximizing learning. Rebecca is a self-described “learning addict” who is at her best collaborating with and inspiring teams to greater success. In her free time, Rebecca spends her time chasing around two very active mutts, trying semi-successfully to keep them out of trouble.
Pascal is a student and Core Developer based in Zurich, Switzerland. He’s been working with WordPress for half of his life and passionate about helping other people and cooking. Most recently he’s been improving i18n in WordPress, as well as translating WordPress into a language only 50,000 people understand.
I’ve wanted to be in technology since before I can remember. Following in my fathers footsteps was my dream. For me, going to Georgia Southern University and graduating with a BS in Information Technology was a no brainer. I continued my journey moving to the DC area and getting a job in web development. Over 5 years I worked at a variety of creative agencies doing WordPress and Front end development, until I found my home at Ghost Note Agency.
Kyle Jennings is a full stack WordPress developer and enthusiast, who has been building web sites in DC for both the public and private sectors since 2008.
Since college, Josepha has gathered together people with similar interests to learn more and create better communities. In 2008 that passion for connecting people spread to technology and she’s never looked back. With a training in music, and a background in data, she is a digital literacy advocate who talks about WordPress, the Open Source Software community, and non-traditional paths to STEM fields. Josepha works at Automattic as a community organizer for the WordPress open source project and can be found on Twitter as @josephahaden.
George is one of the folks behind the Jetpack plugin and a frequent core contributor to the WordPress software. He is also a regular on the WPWatercooler podcast and a frequent WordCamp Speaker. When not behind a computer, he enjoys making things out of solder and wood or spending time with his family.
Christie Chirinos is a Partner in & the Business Manager at Caldera Labs, a WordPress plugin company. Caldera Labs is the company led by Josh Pollock behind Caldera Forms, a leading drag-and-drop form builder for WordPress, and a handful of other free and premium plugins. Christie started selling online at the age of 14, and has launched her own ecommerce site, sold on third-party platforms, monetized a blog, created sites for lead generation for service businesses, and then focused in for 3 years on tech for nonprofit organizations. Now, she has moved on to digital downloads. Christie received her Master of Business Administration degree with a specialization in information systems management from Florida State University, and is currently based out of New York City.
Ken Fang is the President of Mobomo, primarily overseeing the strategy and operations of the company. He works closely with clients to create mobile digital transformation solutions to meet their strategic needs, and is adept at designing and developing mobile, web, and cloud products on all major platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows Phone, and responsive web. In addition to running Mobomo, Ken is the founder and chairman of Altum, Inc., the market leader of enterprise grants management and performance management solutions for federal and philanthropic organizations. In 2009, the Washington Business Journal recognized Ken as one of the D.C.-metro area’s top minority business leaders; additionally, he has published a number of titles and articles in educational software and advanced computing technology. He holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Computer Science from Pennsylvania State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a certificate in Bioinformatics from Stanford University.
Desi Gonzalez writes, researches, and makes things at the intersection of art and technology. She currently lives in Pittsburgh, where she leads digital engagement at the Andy Warhol Museum. Before that, she designed educational tech at La Victoria Lab in Peru, developed interpretive experiences at the Museum of Modern Art, and managed a kids website at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She has a B.A. in art history and linguistics from Emory University and an M.S. in comparative media studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Marty Spellerberg is the principal at Spellerberg Associates, a consulting practice that offers interactive design, development and communications assistance to artists and museums. He is also the director of Spellerberg Projects, a contemporary art gallery in Lockhart, Texas. Marty has 19 years experience in interactive design, including 9 years working specifically with museums. He is co-leader of the National Museum Website Visitor Motivation Study, which tracked usage of two dozen cultural websites across the US and Canada. He has consulted for several museums including the the Clyfford Still Museum, Denver; the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago; the Santa Cruz Museum of art & History; the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto. He is a graduate of OCAD University, Toronto.
Antti Koskenrouta is a WordPress developer and web consultant. Originally from Finland, he’s called Washington DC home for the last 10 years.
James De Lanoy is a Software Engineer at the Oracle Data Cloud. He likes working on test infrastructure and cardinality estimation, among other things. He was previously at PIXIA, working on geospatial image and video products. He has BSs in Mathematics and Earth Science from George Mason University.
For the past eight years, Sang has designed, developed and maintained websites for many great companies, including Federal Trade Commission, Microsoft, SiriusXM Radio and Smithsonian Institution. Currently, Sang works for Gannett where he primarily works on USAToday.com.
Michelle is an independent graphic designer and frontend developer in Minneapolis. Prior to beginning her career, she studied Visual Communications, with minors in Psychology and Sociology. As her work progressed, she also branched into front-end development and user experience design to round our her skillset. This combination of disciplines led her to adopt a strategy-based approach to design, focused on solving tangible problems and achieving real goals based on how people think.
Scott is currently an Excellence Wrangler at Automattic, with a focus on automated testing of the WordPress web and mobile platforms. Prior to this he held a variety of jobs for a variety of DC defense contractors, working on everything from systems engineering to software development.
Emilia is an experienced technical manager with a background in administering complex website and app development projects. She works with cross functional teams to respond to technical questions, consult on project approach, and manage development and migration work; and acts as the client advocate internally on complex technical projects with significant development or migration requirements. Emilia has experience managing the entire development lifecycle from requirements creation to deployment with internal and third-party development teams, including timeline management and stakeholder communication. She holds a BS in Business and Economics from Lehigh University.
John Victoria lives in Alexandria, Virginia, and is the owner of Polianna, a boutique digital marketing agency specializing in search engine optimization (SEO). He’s consulted with local businesses in the DMV area as well as major multi-million dollar international brands on their search engine optimization efforts. He’s also ranked #1 on Google for “Virginia SEO Expert.” Aside from his work, he currently serves as the Vice President of Marketing and Outreach for the Filipino Young Professionals of Washington D.C., and is the Deputy Chairman for the National Federation of Filipino American Associations, Region 2. Victoria has worked locally in helping support Asian Pacific Islander American Vote and the Filipino Veterans Recognition and Education Project.
Emily Patterson is the founder of Bee Measure, a firm that helps nonprofit and government clients use data to create effective digital content and reach their target audiences.
Jason Wasser is the Director of Technology for Made by We, a local DC agency with a focus on social good. With 7 years of development experience, Jason believes a successful website must offer ease of use for both the administrator and the visitor.
Michael is a Senior Developer at CHIEF, a digital agency based in Washington D.C. and Portland. He started making a living with WordPress eight years ago, after realizing that he couldn’t be a screenwriter if he spent all his time coding instead of writing. He lives in Washington D.C. and really likes clean code, standards compliance, and playing volleyball on weekends.
Lauren is the Director of Technology for Subject Matter, where she combines her passion for technology with her love of creative advocacy. She champions technical strategy and solutions for clients, focusing on open source CMSs and frameworks. She also teaches frontend development at General Assembly.
Annie Smidt has been designing for over two decades and working with WordPress since it was a baby. Her Boston-based company, Durable Creative, creates strategic branding, graphic design and web sites for arts and culture, non-profit, and other mission-based organizations. Once, in the 90s, she wrote and designed an entire one-off book about typography for her best friend so he could share her excitement. (She still doesn’t know if he read it.)
Mika Ariela Epstein is better known as Ipstenu, the Half-Elf Rogue. Working for DreamHost and specializing in WordPress, Mika helps make WordPress and hosting better for everyone. When she isn’t reviewing plugins or rebuilding the stack, she’s speaking at WordCamps worldwide about code and open source technology. A self-taught guru on Multisite and .htaccess, she has a passion for writing and technology.
Clifton Griffin is a backend developer and owner of Objectiv, a WordPress based web agency in Central Virginia which is currently in its fifth year. He started developing for WordPress in 2007, and has never looked back. He has several plugins in the WordPress repository, multiple premium plugins, and has written countless others for client projects.
Agency and Community Engineer at Pantheon and Founder of Coders of TMRW, Tessa has been a web developer for over 10 years. She enjoys front-end development but also loves to build sites from start to finish. She started in Joomla back when it was 1.0.x and worked her way into WordPress and Drupal about 7 years ago. She enjoys teaching others to code as well as speaking at conferences and youth events. Tessa is a northern Minnesota native, but now lives in the Twin Cities with her husband and four children – three boys and a baby girl. She loves dogs and enjoys helping local organizations rescue dogs in her free time.
Sandy Smith lives in the Washington, DC area, and has been a web developer for an eternity in the web world: 17 years. He’s spent all but a couple of years of that time consulting, usually for nonprofits and government, working both in-house and in an agency. He’s worked with a hundred or so organizations in various capacities, from basic development to strategic advice to multi-tier applications. He’s now a Senior Software Engineer at Truth Initiative.
Lindsey Kopacz is a self-taught front-end web developer. Her tech passion involves anything that merges technology and the user experience—which includes her favorite topic, accessibility. Based in Washington, DC, she spends most of her free time reading, drinking craft beer, and practicing her makeup artistry.
David started as a pioneer in user-based technology is the 1980s, consulting on desktop publishing. After eight years in the commercial-side of MultiMedia industry, he began his Public Sector career working at the U.S. Information Agency (USIA) in 1991. Over the last 26 years he has helped innovate the use of modern digital publishing, content management, social media, and other innovations to the forefront of the U.S.’s public diplomacy efforts around the world. Since 2011, he has been working in the U.S. Department of State’s Office of eDiplomacy. He is currently working on a major Knowledge Management effort which leverages WordPress, BuddyPress, and BBPress.
Shayna Diamond currently works at Scitent eLearning, specializing in WordPress customization. Previously, she built on her background in jewelry design as a freelance developer focusing on dynamic sites for small business and artists. She enjoys the unique challenges of combining form and function, beauty and practicality.Shayna earned her Bachelors of Science in Website Development and Interactive Communication from the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. She is an active member of the WordPress community, speaking at WordCamps and contributing to the support forums. Additionally, she is a Chapter Leader for GirlDevelopIt of Central Virginia, where she takes great pride in helping other women find their footing in web development. When not at the computer, Shayna can be found at her jeweler’s bench or in the field collecting rocks and minerals.
Mark Wahl is Technical Director at the Jake Group, a DC-based digital agency where he leads the web team, manages custom WordPress projects, and cultivates client relationships. He earned his M.A. in Communication, Culture and Technology from Georgetown University. He’s also a dad, woodworker, cidermaker, and baseball fan!
Mia is a regular speaker/trainer and Partner at Creative Analytics — a digital & content marketing agency and group of WordPress designers/developers in Washington DC. Creative Analytics builds conversion-optimized WordPress websites and content-focused online platforms for medium-sized B2B, B2G and non-profit organizations that generate more qualified traffic, leads and engagement. Drawing from more than 15 years of experience as a graphic designer, web designer, writer, and project manager, Mia develops comprehensive digital strategies for clients to more efficiently and consistently deliver the right message to the right audience at the right time online. She holds an MBA & MS in Information Technology with a concentration in Project Management.
Katie Pegoraro has worked for Arlington County Government in the Department of Technology Services for ten years. She is a member of WordPress DC Meetup, and a first-time WordCamper. She still subscribes to The Washington Post’s dead-tree edition, and you may see her around DC on the soccer pitch or tennis court.
John Cornthwait is a Partner and the Director of Products at Firefli, a Roanoke, VA company that specializes in digital solutions. As a designer and full-stack developer with 15 years of experience, John has used WordPress regularly for the last decade. He is currently pursuing a master’s degree in User Experience Design from Kent State University.
Greg Krehbiel is a writer and blogger who has been using WordPress personally for several years. He recently adopted WordPress as the CMS for Kiplinger Alerts, a professional, subscription-based digital service for investors and business professionals. Greg is the author of several works of fiction and non-fiction, including a guide for homebrewers. He is an award-winning brewer, an out of shape black belt, an amateur swing dancer, an avid reader, occasional fisherman and washed up musician.
Nick “the Geek” Croft has been developing on WordPress for 9 years now. Currently he is senior developer for Rainmaker Digital, which you may know as Copyblogger. He has created several plugins for WordPress.org mostly using the Genesis framework as well as custom work for clients and his employer. Lately he has been focused on highly efficient code and automating all the things. In addition to work he has a wife, 4 children, and a puppy and lives on a quiet cul de sac in the Shenandoah Valley. He enjoys hiking, river activities, and time with family.
I live and work in the heart of DC, and share a home with my husband, dog, and cat. I’m a Senior Web Developer at CHIEF, where, in addition to development, I also train colleagues, improve processes, and contribute to proposals. As a former web designer, I started coding out of necessity and over time grew to love it. The front-end is where I have the most experience and am most passionate. I’ve also built and launched a few major rebuilds in the last few years. I’m comfortable in both WordPress and Drupal, as well as with making random one-off static html sites.
Joe Casabona is a Front End Developer and course creator that works in WordPress…a lot. You can find his courses over at WP in One Month. He also hosts a weekly podcast called, How I Built It, where he interviews product developers and business owners about how they create.
Named one of the top 25 most influential people in government and technology and Fed 50’s Disruptor of the Year, described by the US Chief Technology Officer as one of “the baddest of the badass innovators,” and winner of the Open Source People’s Choice Award, Ben Balter is a Product Manager manager at GitHub, the world’s largest software development network, where he oversees a team of product managers responsible for the company’s business-to-business and community and safety products. Previously, Ben served as GitHub’s Government Evangelist, leading the efforts to encourage government at all levels to adopt open source philosophies for code, for data, and for policy development.
