Hope E Paasch

Coding can change the world.

I grew up as a journalist. Now I code. I see web applications as an engaging tool to inform and guide public decisions.

As a reporter and editor, I learned to use facts to help communities make important decisions and to help people cope in times of trauma.

Now, as a software engineer, I want to continue to work with projects that build on democratic principles. I want to help regular people engage in civic life. I want policymakers to understand community priorities and find solutions. I want to help build a stronger and more secure society.

Contact

Hope E. Paasch
outskirts of Charlotte, NC
704.650.2734
hepaasch@gmail.com
www.hepaasch.com

Download Resume

Coding skills

More than four years of full-time coding experience in a test-driven, paired-programming environment. I switch between code bases as our teams rotate, switching languages as needed. Sometimes, I work in Go, Java and a couple of flavors of React within the same week.

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Go

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Javascript

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React/Redux

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Python/Django

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Java

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GitHub

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JetBrains

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Pivotal Cloud Foundry

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Jenkins pipeline

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SQLserver

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Postman

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RESTful APIs

My Resume

I want to work with data to create web applications that contribute to a stronger society. Speaking engagements: PyData Carolinas on Acquiring Public Data (September 2016)

Experience

Developer

CompoZed Labs at Allstate

2017-present
I joined as the Charlotte lab was launched with a bootcamp-style accelerator. This is a total XP environment, including test-driven and paired programming. Projects are created from inception, continuously deployed in a Jenkins pipeline to a Pivotal Cloud Foundry environment. I develop internal web applications within Allstate's Automation & Orchestration organization. Application teams consist of 4 to 6 developers and a product manager, with regular rotations from team to team. This is an XP Agile environment, with paired programming, continuous integration and deployment, and an emphasis on test-driven development. Applications use Jenkins pipelines and are deployed to Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) environments in either on-premise data centers or Amazon Web Services (AWS). All development work is done using the macOS operating system.

My prior experience as a top-level leader in another career helps me coach others on building a healthy culture and strong partnerships across boundaries. I take the lead on setting a compassionate and capable tone every day.

Editor

The Charlotte Observer

1995-2016
Metro editor for nearly four years, including during the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the indictment of the city's mayor and the shooting trial of a CMPD police officer. Primary editor and supervisory editor on stories that required acquisition and analysis of public data, from elections to emails to traffic stop patterns by police. Also served as politics editor, regional editor, front-page editor and founder of the centralized publishing center. Directly responsible for hiring, managing and developing dozens of reporters, editors and production staff.

Technology

Observer's publishing system

1998-2012
Consultant for more than a decade, in addition to journalist duties. Provided specifications for system capabilities, consulted with developers and application specialists, tested delivered products, documented bugs and brainstormed future functionality. Made presentations to leadership at multiple news organizations about publishing system development and use.

Teacher

McClatchy's Southeast news organizations

1998-2012
Trained employees on various technologies, focused on the publishing system for print and online. Wrote training exercises and tipsheets, often on the fly after existing documentation proved too limited. Conducted on-site roll-out training and support in Charlotte, Raleigh, Rock Hill, Columbia and Myrtle Beach, all part of the McClatchy parent company.

More

Before the Charlotte Observer

I was a news reporter at The Houston Post for five years and at the start-up St. Louis Sun for the only year it was alive. I was then associate editor of the St. Louis Business Journal for three years.

Education

Iron Yard

Backend engineering with Python and Django

Attended May-August 2016 at The Iron Yard's headquarters campus in Greenville, SC. My instructor was Joel Taddei, a full-stack web developer with a special affinity for data science. Certificate of completion awarded. This three-month immersive coding course focused on Python, Django and RESTful APIs. The pace was fast, and the hours were long. I typically put in 80 hours per week, between lectures, nightly homework and weekend projects. The Yard's approach taught me how to work through a challenge, to find answers and solutions.

Texas A&M

Bachelor of Science in Journalism

Editor of student newspaper, a daily with more than 20,000 circulation. Served on advisory board to vice president of Student Affairs. Member of student center council, participating in decisions about which outside speakers to hire. Awarded most valuable editor.

References

From people who know how I think and how I work.

Newsrooms

"Hope can teach and coach and code and convey a message clearly and accurately. She is an intuitive problem solver. She always advocated for an improved user experience for our employees because she understood how our CMS worked. And here is the bonus part: She is a leader who conveys passion and fairness."

Cheryl Carpenter
Leadership faculty at The Poynter Institute

Digital

"I've worked with Hope for almost 18 years and I've watched her cut through programming jargon to help us 'end-users' understand what to do and how to learn our new systems/updates as efficiently as possible. She has an innate ability to see the end result and then figure out the best route to get to that end."

Mordecia Strickland
Former Charlotte Observer senior editor for online

Systems

"I've worked closely with Hope for many years on news technology efforts. She's a truly rare individual who can discern essential core functionality in technical projects, analyze with exceptional clarity and insight and communicate across the board to any audience, from technical specifications, workflow and training to strategic value for the business."

Neil Mara
News Technology consultant

Thanks for your time

Drop me a note. Let's talk.