Skills

Technical abilities

JavaScript for data visualization + web development

I’ve worked with JavaScript and its ecosystem consistently since 2014 and am comfortable using it to manipulate data and produce visualizations in hobby and professional settings. I also develop React-based web apps and have built simple backend API servers.

Familiar tools:

• D3 to produce charts and maps for print and web.
  • A decade of growth in the Gallatin Valley - Map and diagram projecting scope of potential land development.
  • Gallatin Valley migration by age - Age pyramid-style diagram for visualizing U.S. Census county-level migration data.
• Mapping libraries including Leaflet and Mapbox GL for mapping-based web applications.
• React for web interactive development.
• Express for back-end data management and API server development.
• Build tools including Babel and Webpack.

Python for data wrangling

I’ve used Python as a go-to tool for data cleaning and analysis since 2014. I’m proficient with Pandas/Numpy and have also used the language in concert with geospatial analysis libraries like Geopandas and GDAL/OGR.

Familiar tools:

• Pandas/Numpy/SciPy - Used with iPython Notebooks for data cleaning and analysis. An example here, detailing the code behind a county-level property analysis identifying major local landowners.

QGIS + PostGIS for geospatial analysis

I routinely use QGIS for viewing and manipulating geospatial data, including the production of static maps for print and web. I occasionally connect QGIS to PostGIS databases for spatial analysis projects.

Adobe Creative Suite for graphic design

Proficient with Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop and Indesign, including vector data graphics with SVG Crowbar- and ai2html-based workflows. Extensive experience with web and print design. Some experience with After Effects for animated video production.

Subject-matter expertise

Land use planning

Covered city and county governance for three years in one of the fastest growing small cities in the nation (Bozeman, Montana), with a particular focus on land use policy and politics.

Housing policy

Have written extensively about housing issues including gentrification, subsidized housing development and inclusionary zoning.

Public data

Extensive experience working with data from various U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis programs. Have also worked with state and local agencies to obtain data sets describing election districts, health care spending and property tax assessments, among other topics.

Criminal justice

Spent a year covering state and federal court systems in north-central Montana, writing stories based on law enforcement records, police filings and trial coverage.

Public health

Research experience with water quality and sanitation projects in American and East African communities. Reporting experience covering health disparities and mental health systems in Montana.

Economic development

Spent a year writing about economic development policy in Montana with a particular focus on rural communities.