H. Kate Rears

2440 16th Street NW, Apt. 410
Washington, D.C. 20009
703-967-9618
krears@gmail.com
linkedin.com/in/hkate

EDUCATION

M.S., Information Systems Technology
The George Washington University

B.A., English Language and Literature
The College of William and Mary

SKILLS + TECHNOLOGIES

Online Communications
CMS (WordPress, Drupal, Sitefinity, Shopify, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix), CRM administration and maintenance (MS SharePoint, various Association Management System software platforms), email campaign management (Mailchimp, Squarespace, Constant Contact, RealMagnet, Emma, others), email/SMS automations and website integrations (Klaviyo), programming languages and supporting protocols/frameworks (HTML, CSS, JQuery, XML, PHP/MySQL, ASP.NET/VB, FTP, SVN).

Keen ability to learn new systems quickly and translate technical concepts into everyday language.

Productivity + Collaboration
Microsoft 365 (Teams, OneDrive, SharePoint, Word, Excel, Forms, Project, Visio, Access); Project/product management (JIRA, Confluence, Basecamp, Airtable, Trello); UX/UI design/documentation (Adobe CS, Lucid, Mural, Miro, Figma, Sketch, Axure).

Leadership + Advocacy
Public speaking, responding to press and public inquiries, group facilitation, authoring and presenting executive communications and briefings, event management and support, fact checking.

RELEVANT WORK EXPERIENCE

Freelance Digital Strategist, multiple clients
2006 to present | remote

  • Create and support websites for a variety of small businesses and nonprofits

  • Implement and maintain websites on platforms such as WordPress, Squarespace, and Shopify

  • Troubleshoot issues and launch new features and integrations, such as email marketing

Communications + Operations Strategist, National Science Foundation
2021 to present | Alexandria, Va. & remote | contract position

  • Lead engagement to improve service delivery and communications strategy

  • Organize and conduct user research, analyze data, and create actionable communication plans

  • Create and manage SharePoint, Teams, and OneDrive sites and content repositories

  • Write and distribute agency-wide communications, including critical announcements

Senior UX Designer + Researcher, Freddie Mac Multifamily
2018 to 2021 | McLean, Va. & remote | contract position

  • Led UX efforts for agile teams to redesign digital system interfaces

  • Conducted interviews, contextual inquiries, and workshops with diverse user groups

  • Created front-end designs, interactive prototypes, and technical documentation

  • Facilitated meetings and fostered community across disparate teams

Brand + Digital Strategist, Mekanic
2017 to 2018 | Alexandria, Va.

  • Created taglines, messaging, and websites for nonprofit and association clients

  • Conducted research and stakeholder workshops to develop compelling and strategic messaging

  • Facilitated panel discussion of young female association professionals at a national conference

Account Manager/Consultant, Future Value Consulting
2013 to 2017 | Falls Church, Va. & remote

  • Created websites and managed integrations for nonprofit and association clients

  • Designed and created website interfaces, integrating interactive pages with customer database 

  • Created HTML email templates and managed website integrations with third-party email software

Web Developer/Producer, The George Washington University
2007 to 2012 | Washington, D.C. & Ashburn, Va. 

  • Managed university website and online communications request pipeline

  • Created and/or maintained websites, HTML newsletters, and alumni CRM database

  • Provided day-to-day technical support and training for staff on online platforms and systems