Karen Arla Rustad
http://www.littlegreenriver.com
Education
University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA
Master of Information Management and Systems; degree expected May 2012
UC Berkeley School of Information Fellowship recipient
Scripps College; Claremont, CA
B.A. Media Studies, magna cum laude, 2008
James E. Scripps Scholarship recipient; National Merit Scholarship recipient
Skills
Visual Design: Photoshop, Illustrator, Final Cut Pro, Flash
Web Development: XHTML, CSS, PHP, Python, Django, Javascript; WordPress, XCart
Office Software: Mac OS X, Windows, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, OpenOffice
Work Experience
Web Intern, Access Companies; Minnetonka, MN — January 2010 – present
Helped develop and modernize the web presence of several merchandise companies including GiftsEveryoneLikes.com, Twilight Tracer, and American Dog Toys. Redesigned e-commerce website and transferred it over to a new host using cheaper, open-source shopping cart software. Redesigned a 100% static HTML, table-based promo site and converted it to easy-to-edit WordPress. Developed social media strategy. Assisted with miscellaneous graphic design projects.
Director of Research and Design, OpenHatch; Philadelphia, PA — June – Oct 2009
Performed market research, wrote OpenHatch’s business plan, drew graphics, improved website usability and user experience, developed game mechanics-based incentives for web community, tracked expenses, did payroll, met with industry leaders, attended weekly meetings with funders, presented pitch for over 200 investors and entrepreneurs, and other responsibilities. OpenHatch is an Internet startup whose mission is to make it easier and more fun for programmers and others to get involved in open source software development. The company was part of accelerator fund Shotput Ventures’ 2009 class.
Web Product Specialist, Webs.com; Silver Spring, MD — October 2008 – May 2009
Assisted customers in updating and adding features to their websites, rewrote and created graphics for the FAQ, and reported bugs and suggested features to the developer team.
Teacher, Kaplan; Arlington, VA — July 2008 – November 2008
Prepared lesson plans and led classes in order to ready students to take the LSAT.
Web/Video Contractor, SPARC; Washington, DC — July – October 2008
Updated SPARC website content; planned, produced, and edited viral video series; and helped coordinate the 2008 Digital Repositories conference in Baltimore.
Web Manager, Scripps Store; Claremont, CA — August 2007 – May 2008
Photographed new items, wrote product page copy, updated website inventory, created online product promotions, and participated in general store manager duties including weekly meetings, store strategy, and on-call hours.
Web/IT Intern, Genocide Intervention Network; Washington, DC — Summer 2007
Helped maintain GI-Net’s social networking presence on MySpace and Facebook, completely redesigned the 1-800-GENOCIDE campaign site, and developed preliminary Mandatory Genocide Education campaign site design.
Illustration Intern, Accessible Knowledge; Philadelphia, PA — June 2006 – August 2006
Illustrated public-domain stories and published them online in a screen reader-accessible, standards-compliant fashion for children with disabilities.
Volunteer Experience
Media Studies Department Student Liaison; Claremont, CA — August 2007 – May 2008
Communicated needs and concerns of Media Studies majors to faculty and staff. Helped plan and publicize department social events.
Founder and president, Free Culture 5C; Claremont, CA — August 2005 – May 2008
Led advocacy and publicity efforts for the Claremont Colleges’ chapter of Students for Free Culture, a student organization concerned with intellectual property law and grassroots cultural participation.
Core Team Chair, Students for Free Culture — August 2007 – May 2008
Called and led meetings of volunteers to work on SFC campaigns, outreach, maintenance, and other tasks.
Board of Directors, Students for Free Culture — December 2005 – February 2008
Helped make executive strategic decisions, draft and pass bylaws, and represent SFC at iCommons and other related conferences.
