Garlin Gilchrist II

Current

Director of New Media at Center for Community Change
Trainer at New Organizing Institute
Communications Advisory Board Member at YES! Magazine

Blog Host at Brave New Films
Advisory Board Member at Seattle MESA
Founder at blacknetaction
Founder at Opportunity Technology, LLC
Founder & Co-contributor at The SuperSpade

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5 more...

Past

Fellow, Senior Policy Analyst for Technology at Northwest Progressive Institute
Software Design Engineer in Test at Microsoft
Social Media Manager, WA at Obama for America

Consultant Chief Technology Officer at Johnson Publishing Company

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1 more...

Education

University of Michigan
University of Michigan

Recommended

10 people have recommended Garlin

Connections

439 connections

Industry

Online Media

Websites

Garlin Gilchrist II’s Summary

I'm looking apply my experience & expertise to demonstrate how new media, web strategy, and increasing technical capacity can revolutionize advocacy, communication, grassroots efforts and overall organizational effectiveness.

* Proven record of developing innovative new media solutions to deliver winning results for small non-profits & large corporate clients.
* Combines Microsoft engineering experience with the ability to manage and grow technical and non-technical personnel.
* Understands the keys of strategic framing and messaging and how to deliver them strategically across all media.

Garlin Gilchrist II’s Specialties:

Strategy Development: Online organizing, Online communication strategy, New + Social media strategy, Mobile technology, Project management, Campagin design + management, Online fundraising, Constituent activation

Programming Languages & Frameworks: Python, Django, PHP, C#, ASP.NET, XHTML, CSS, Javascript

Specific Technical Knowledge of: SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server, Software Testing, Performance Testing & Analysis, Server Administration & Deployment

Tambien, hablo un poco Espanol.

Garlin Gilchrist II’s Experience

Director of New Media

Center for Community Change

(Non-Profit; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

August 2009 — Present (4 months)

Design and execute strategic advocacy that advances Progressive values & causes using New Media.

Specific responsibilities include:
* Connect CCC’s online and offline work to the online advocacy/blog/netroots communities.
* Manage the CCC Innovation Fund to support experiments to grow CCC's online base and increase open/response rates. Experiment and track outcomes and learnings to continuously improve reach and impact.
* Develop email and mobile actions to engage and grow the Center’s reach and impact online and offline.
* Develop and oversee the Center’s strategy with respect to social media networks.
Trainer

New Organizing Institute

(Non-Profit; Political Organization industry)

January 2009 — Present (11 months)

Specific expertise in Online Organizing, New + Social Media, Email Campaign Design, and Online Fundraising
Communications Advisory Board Member

YES! Magazine

(Non-Profit; 11-50 employees; Non-Profit Organization Management industry)

October 2008 — Present (1 year 2 months)

In this role I help guide YES! Magazine's Social Media and Web 2.0 Strategy.

I provide insight and training staff members on how to use technologies like Twitter and Facebook to raise awareness, engage audiences, and raise money online.
Blog Host

Brave New Films

(Computer Software industry)

August 2007 — Present (2 years 4 months)

I am a writer and blog host on the Brave New Films blog. I write on a broad range of political issues, but focus on civil rights and technology.
Advisory Board Member

Seattle MESA

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

August 2007 — Present (2 years 4 months)

* Created Talking Points and Messaging strategy for MESA’s Legislative Priorities. The result was getting our previously unknown budget item onto the Legislative agenda in the upcoming very tightly-packed session.
* Lead effort to change the Seattle MESA website and web strategy to be more usable and effective for giving information and soliciting volunteers. This resulted in a 15% increase in the year-over-year number of citizen volunteers.
Founder

blacknetaction

(Civic & Social Organization industry)

August 2007 — Present (2 years 4 months)

Co-founded this coalition of Black Bloggers and Online Activists to serve as an online strategy center for New Media advocacy impacting people of color.

* Developed messaging framework focusing on inclusion, equal protection under the law, and accountability.
* Lead strategy planning for blogging and online activism campaigns such as the Jena 6 (managed blogging priorities for hundreds of participating international Black bloggers) and the Fox News/CBCI Debates (crafted messaging strategy and drove story placement)
Founder

Opportunity Technology, LLC

(Internet industry)

March 2006 — Present (3 years 9 months)

"Forward thinking consultant with the ability to help businesses and organizations use technology appropriately to maximize their impact and meet strategic goals."

* Creator & implementer of advanced social media and Internet strategy plans for non-profit organizations, political campaigns, including the Washington for Obama campaign in 2008.
* Facilitator of information & training sessions for organizations on strategically using technology and the Internet to achieve their goals.
* Developer of useful, agile custom web applications & prototypes

Technologies utilized in this position:
Python, Django, PHP, Linux, Apache, MySQL, XHTML, CSS, Javascript, XML, SMS

Skills & Strategies applied in this position:
Agile project development, rapid prototyping, web design, web development, web analytics, mobile design & development, usability & user experience, information architecture, testing
Founder & Co-contributor

The SuperSpade

(Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Civic & Social Organization industry)

November 2005 — Present (4 years 1 month)

I co-founded this site to elevate Black dialogue on the Internet. The days of the Internet as an entertainment-only realm for people are numbered, and we want to be a place where people can come to for relevant information on political and social issues.
Fellow, Senior Policy Analyst for Technology

Northwest Progressive Institute

(Non-Profit; Political Organization industry)

January 2007 — August 2009 (2 years 8 months)

* Wrote policy statements on a broad range technology issues including digital inclusion, privacy, and net neutrality
* Front page blogger and frequent audio podcast contributor
Software Design Engineer in Test

Microsoft

(Public Company; MSFT; Computer Software industry)

July 2005 — August 2009 (4 years 2 months)

"Thoughtful leader who systematically drives improvements in performance testing processes, delivering high quality tools, features and products."

High-level responsibilities:
* Responsible for planning, organizing and managing multi-team initiatives on key feature areas involving stakeholders in different areas of the company.
* Leading efforts to evangelize improved testing methodologies across the company, resulting in higher quality product releases and higher productivity in engineering teams.
* Initiated introduction of internal tools review processes to increase tester productivity by increasing usability in testing software and processes.

Technologies utilized in this position:
SharePoint, C#, ASP.NET, Microsoft SQL Server, Windows Server

Skills & strategies applied in this position:
Software design, black & white box software testing, test planning, performance testing & analysis, security testing & analysis, deployment & capacity planning
Social Media Manager, WA

Obama for America

(Non-Profit; Political Organization industry)

October 2008 — December 2008 (3 months)

A testimonial from Obama Campaign Washington State New Media Director Edward Lee describing my work:

"As the Washington State New Media Director of the Obama campaign, I was very impressed with the dedication and expertise that Garlin demonstrated. Garlin was an active volunteer on the campaign who showed tremendous initiative in the projects he headed. He led our text message outreach initiative by dictating what the messages would be and coordinated the messaging schedule. He also managed our social outreach sites such as Facebook and MySpace to ensure that Senator Obama's message would be communicated to supporters throughout Washington State. Amidst the hectic nature of a campaign, Garlin's steady and consistent work ethic made him dependable and a strong asset to my team. I strongly recommend Garlin and I am confident that he will go on to do amazing things."
Consultant Chief Technology Officer

Johnson Publishing Company

(Privately Held; Publishing industry)

February 2007 — September 2007 (8 months)

* Oversaw the design, development, and management of web content for large websites such as www.EbonyJet.com.
* Managed a team of developers and technical support staff based in Chicago, IL. Under my direction, productivity and quality increased, resulting in fewer deployment issues and more advanced features.
* Managed the deployment plans for the high-traffic EbonyJet.com website, including working with web hosting vendors to ensure proper scalability and resource utilization.
* Managed vendor relationships and ensured that high quality work was delivered on time within budget.
* Managed the customization and deployment of proprietary Content Management System.

Garlin Gilchrist II’s Education

University of Michigan

BSE , Computer Science in Engineering , 2000 — 2005

Graduated with Honors

Activities and Societies:

Dean's List, Member - National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Chairman - Black Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists (BEECS), Chairman - Here Earning a Destiny through Honesty Eagerness and Determination of Self (HEADS)
University of Michigan

BSE , Computer Engineering , 2000 — 2005

Graduated with Honors

Activities and Societies:

Dean's List, Member - National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE), Chairman - Black Electrical Engineers and Computer Scientists (BEECS), Chairman - Here Earning a Destiny through Honesty Eagerness and Determination of Self (HEADS)

Additional Information

Garlin Gilchrist II’s Websites:

Garlin Gilchrist II’s Interests:

new media, social media, consulting, strategy, web development, web design, ruby on rails, php, xhtml, css, design, project management, management, technology, internet, communication, marketing, advertising, blogging, sports