(note: this is the extended version of my resume. There are also shorter versions, here.)

Christopher D. Palmer - jobs@chris-palmer.com
122 W. Upas St., San Diego, CA 92103
cell: (619) 876-6388

Work Experience:

University of San Diego (2006 - 2008)

2008 Independent Consultant

• Working with many University departments to plan, implement and document business processes and program changes during the Banner/Luminis (ERP) implementation.
• Designed and managed special Online Registration support desk including multiple phone, email and instant messenger channels to provide superior support to students during first registration on the new system.
• Created spreadsheets to track outstanding issues and enhancements and working to ensure that support is gracefully transitioned to normal Technical Support Center.

2006-2008 Attained Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree

2007 University of San Diego & San Diego Union-Tribune
Principal Investigator (during MBA)

• Worked with a team of two other students in a consulting project for the San Diego Union-Tribune. Created surveys and facilitated focus groups with over 100 participants to study the information acquisition habits of 18-29 year olds.
• Final report and analysis to be presented to president and vice presidents of San Diego Union-Tribune in mid-December.

• Developed list of comparable schools based on undergraduate size, worked with USD to determine important metrics and practices to measure, created an online survey to collect the data, contacted comparable schools to gather the data and created a final report including current practices, near-future trends and specific recommendations for USD to improve their support services.
• Report presented to the Director of Desktop Support Services and the Chief Information Officer.

NSB Group - leading software solutions provider for specialty retailers (1999-2006)

2006 NSB Group
Triage Manager

• Created processes to organize Product Maintenance by adding a structured defect identification, mitigation and resolution process. In three months after I joined the division went from being named the leading cause of client dissatisfaction to being widely praised by clients and executives for rapid response, clear ETA's and reliable results.
• Formed the Triage Team to enforce and adapt organizational procedures that provided a buffer and escalation point for the development group in Product Maintenance.
• Continued role as Manager of Development Support while creating and managing a new department.

2004 - 2006 NSB Group
Manager of Development Support

• Helped guide strategy for the Development department including participating in weekly management meetings, prepare SWOT analysis of our products, and crafting policies to enable a relatively small player become a dominant player in POS software for specialty retailers.
• Managed the team responsible for internal MIS, future technology research, and test lab (including volume test lab) setup, maintenance, configuration and testing.
• Hired excellent talent and turned a small internal support team in to what the Development Director referred to as, "the best technical asset in our organization."
• Responsible for internal MIS support of Columbus office, supporting approximately 85 people, 150 PC's and 10 servers.

2001-2004 NSB Group
Technical Team Lead, Level 3 Support

• Guided the department responsible for the highest level support for clients running NSB Connected Retailer, a retail suite for specialty retailers including JC Penny's and Staples.
• Taught several training classes for clients as well as educating our Montreal office. Reputation as a superior trainer resulted in our largest distributor requesting I lead technical training as late as 2006.
• Helped draft and improve Service Level Agreements (SLA's) for a variety of clients.

1999-2001 NSB Group
Technical Analyst

• Built systems (including networked servers, registers and workstations), and worked with clients to plan and implement large-scale installations (some clients have over 1,000 stores).

Universal Advertising Associates, Inc. - publisher of single and multi-sponsor maps (summer, 1998)

1998 Universal Advertising Associates, Inc.
Cartographer

• Created GIS maps using MapInfo computer software. Used archived data to create base layers, then combined them and modified them as per updated information.
• Rewrote and added to a program that enabled users to dynamically grid, number and letter maps. Learned MapBasic (a proprietary programming language) for the originally unpaid project.

Attachmate Corporation - Software company providing connectivity solutions (summer, 1997)

1997 Attachmante Corporation
RLN Testing Lab Co-Op

• Maintained over 70 workstations and 6 servers: automated tests, cut and crimped RJ45 and telephone cable, installed and configured DOS and Windows (3.11, 95 and NT) computers.
• Tested Remote Lan Networking, a product that allows remote computers to connect to a network. Critical components of the new version were ISDN and multi-sync support.

Earlham College - full time undergraduate student & Computer Science major (1995-1999)

1997 Earlham College
Teacher's Assistant - "Programming & Problem Solving"

• Aided professor in grading student projects and exams.
• Tutored, both with 'office hours' in the PC labs and individual sessions.

Education / Certification:

• MBA, University of San Diego (2008); 3.95 GPA
• GMAT score: 760
• B.A., Computer Science, graduated with honors from Earlham College (1999); 3.58 GPA
• Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) for both Windows NT4.0 and Windows 2000. MCP ID #1864292

Skills:

• Work effectively in multiple "emergency" situations. Manage client demands against internal issues in company with limited resources, but very large clients.
• Expert troubleshooting skills, with over six years of experience helping clients whose networks span the globe as they plan, deploy and install Windows NT4/2000/XP/2003 based networks running domains and active directory.
• Co-led the USD Net Impact student group, which seeks to improve the world through business. Arranged speakers and worked with University for curriculum change including successfully restarting the "Nonprofit emphasis" for MBA students. Created student "green building team" to work with the University building committee to ensure that the next School of Business facility includes sustainability and environmental concerns.

References:

• Many available upon request.