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Bradley S. Hamilton (B.S. EECS)
240 North 24th Street
San Jose, CA 95116
Home Phone: (408) 280-0193
E-Mail: brad@musicishealing.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bradleyhamilton
Employment Objective:
A project or group management, operations or quality assurance position in a software or web development company.
Strengths:
- Experienced web-development generalist
- Accomplished written and oral communicator
- Adept client service provider for external and internal clients, at all corporate levels
- Excellent organizational and management skills and track record
Education:
B.S. Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
University of California, Berkeley, May 1988
Web Development Skills:
1997 to present
Successfully created and maintained web sites which served as organizational tools and provided information for multiple organizations. Responsible for content creation and site maintenance for www.musicishealing.com and www.sambamundial.org
Skills:
- CMS experience: Joomla (extensive) and Wordpress
- Knowledge of HTML5, HTML4/XHTML, PHP, CSS, Javascript, and XLM.
- Experience with Google Analytics, Google AdSense, Google AdWords, and Facebook Ads
- Knowledge of Network Protocols: 7Layer OSI, TCP/IP, FTP, HTTP, HTTPS, SMTP, IMAP, DHCP, SNCP, POP
- Comfortable in command-line environments: Unix/Linux (Vi, Chmod, Sed, Grep, etc.)
- Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Acrobat Pro)
- Domain registration, DNS updates, site migrations and updates
- Programming experience: Pascal, C, and Pearl.
Work Experience:
June 1997 to March 2001
Engineering Team Leader and Project Manager, BetaSphere, Inc., Palo Alto, CA
As the 6th hired employee of this start-up (which grew to 120 people) I performed many roles while adapting to the company’s ever changing needs. In addition to running beta programs, our core business, I wrote the manual for that position, trained new employees, provided extensive IT support, and ended up managing the engineering team which built our 3rd generation enterprise feedback management application.
- Achieved near-perfect client satisfaction ratings managing both software and hardware beta programs and provided on-site client training at Cisco, Sun, Lucent, Adobe, Intel, Intuit, Palm, and FedEx.
- Propelled company’s growth at minimal costs by procuring and supporting discounted IT and office infrastructure.
- Drove the company’s value proposition by supporting and maintaining pool of 20,000 volunteer beta testers and eventually wrote the technical specifications for out-sourced application development of the management system.
August 1995 to March 1997
Contract Consultant, International Compliance Corporation, Lewisville, TX
I established a west coast office and conducted product safety evaluations for multiple compliance agencies across various product categories (Power Supplies, ITE, Telephone, Medical, Plugs, Cord Sets, and Connectors).
- Expanded a small Texas firm’s national presence by establishing a CA satellite office with ties to multiple international compliance agencies (UL, CSA, TUV, VDE, Semko, Nemko, Fimko, Demko, JSA, BSMI).
- Achieved company growth at minimal costs by providing remote report writing, and traveling extensively to conduct on-site laboratory testing.
July 1988 to March 1995
Project Engineer, Underwriters Laboratories, Santa Clara CA
I conducted product safety evaluations across the entire spectrum of ITE and telephone equipment. I traveled extensively, both domestically and internationally, to provide on-site client service and to supervise laboratory testing.
- Improved client perceptions of UL through outstanding written and oral communication with clients and enhanced satisfaction ratings through error-free project management.
- Increased and promoted company efficiency by serving as a facilitator for inter-department quality improvement teams.
Recent Vocations:
October 2004 to Present
Registered Representative (Financial Consultant), Royal Alliance Associates, San Jose CA
As a SEC Series 6 and 63 registered and CA State Insurance licensed representative, I provide financial consulting services on Annuities, Mutual Funds, and 401(K) Plans to 150 clients.
- Improved financial stature and retirement security to client base through education and by offering products suitable to their situation and needs.
March 2001 to Present
CEO/President (Founder), Samba Mundial 501(c) 3 Non-Profit Corporation
I founded a 501(c) 3 non-profit corporation and established tax-exempt status to support a local community based arts organization which provides educational services to the public.
- Successfully grew the organization to a stable entity with an annual budget of $25,000.00.
- Expanded membership, educated participants, and produced award winning productions for the general public.
Zombie Apocalypse House
Original - Aragon High School Prom May 1983
Dana's Wedding - June 24, 1989
Brad's Wedding - October 19, 1991
Josh's First Family Reunion May 1, 1993
Pete's Wedding - August 30, 1998
Flagstaff, AZ August 3, 2012
Humphreys Peak, AZ August 4, 2012 (12,633FT)
Dana's Wedding June 24, 1989
Josh's First Family Reunion May 1, 1993
Geno's Wedding August 20, 1994
Pete's Wedding August 30, 1998
Josh's Wedding September 12, 1998
Brad Hamilton - Generalist 
High School “Over-achiever”
After bringing home a report card with two C’s and a D in sixth grade, my folks forced me to develop healthy study habits. By the end of eighth grade I was getting straight A’s and did so throughout high school. In addition to athletics, being class president, and yearbook editor, I graduated as valedictorian and was accepted to the engineering programs at Cal Poly (SLO) and UC Berkeley.
Product Safety Engineer (IT Generalist)
After graduating from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, I went directly to work at Underwriters Laboratories as a Product Safety Engineer. I remained at UL for seven years conducting product safety evaluations on a wide variety of Information Technology products. This position frequently required on-site investigations, so I conducted many domestic and international business trips which included going to Japan and Taiwan more than 15 times.
After leaving UL, I worked in the product safety field for two more years, first running the product safety lab at a local third party testing agency, and later opening a west coast office for a similar company based in Texas.
Dot-Com “Start-up” (Technology Generalist and “many hats”)
In 1997 I became the sixth employee at BetaSphere Inc., a technology start-up that provided out-sourced beta testing programs. My primary job was program manager. I ran beta testing programs for a wide variety of hardware, software, consumer, and commercial products. As the only engineer on staff other than the two founders, I handled most of the more technical beta programs. And, as the sixth employee of a company that grew to 120 employees in the four years I was there, I was also responsible for many other job duties. With the IT guy, I built the LAN (Local Area Network) in the new office. I managed the database of beta testers, and eventually wrote the specifications to have this proprietary application rewritten by an outside software development firm. I co-wrote the manual for the Program Manager position and trained many of the new employees. I purchased nearly 100 PCs and configured and installed them for new employees. In the final months, I was managing a team of software developers building our 3rd generation enterprise application, a feedback management tool for running beta programs. I was laid off in March of 2001, when the Dot-Com bubble burst.
A new path in the Financial Industry
Disillusioned with the employment cycle in the tech industry I began to look for other means of income. In 2003 I got my California Insurance License, and in 2004 I obtained my FINRA Series 6 and Series 63 Securities Licenses. In 2005 I bought a book of business from a retiring couple that included about 130 clients, but had less that $8 million dollars in assets under management. As the recession began in 2007 these assets shrank substantially. To this day, I provide superior client service to this client base, but the trail commissions barely cover the required Errors and Omissions insurance. As a teacher rather than a salesman, and due to the investment environment caused by the great recession, I have not had much success bringing in new money. Thus my financial advisor business is a serious part time job that is not generating any income. However, I have invested so much in the effort, and after eight years I actually have some experience and expertise. I am not completely comfortable giving up the practice at this time.
Musician/Teacher/Leader/Non-Profit Founder
I am also a lifelong musician. Since college, I have played professionally in a number of different bands. I produced a commercial record (CD) in 1997. Since 2001, I have taught Brazilian Samba Drumming. Working with dancers I have run a Samba School that provides drum and dance classes year round and also performs at a variety events ranging from large parades to private shows, corporate events and weddings. The group inherited an existing non-profit corporation that became dysfunctional due to irresolvable personnel issues. In 2007, we renamed the group and formed a new non-profit corporation from scratch. Creating the corporation was relatively easy. Obtaining tax-exempt status from the IRS required a much larger effort. I was the main individual responsible for accomplishing that goal.
Along with one other principle officer I continue to drive this organization, which we have built up to be one of the strongest Samba Schools in the SF Bay Area. As CEO I conduct board of directors meetings twice a year in addition to teaching the classes and managing the performance component of the group. I am paid to teach classes, and I receive a modest stipend from our paid gigs. However, this endeavor constitutes another part time job that does not generate substantial income.
Event Management/Production Work
During the last decade I have also taken other odd jobs as they were available. I have done substantial production work in the entertainment industry working for the San Jose Jazz Festival, the Monterey Jazz Festival, and many other similar events. I have worked as stage crew, stage manager, and sound man, among other roles.
Graphics Production/Artistic Director
For a short period, I was doing contract work in graphics production. I have considerable skills, but not expertise working with the Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, and In Design). I have acted as artistic director for most of the custom graphics created for the Samba performing group (Costume Graphics and Flyers).
Real Estate Investor
For two years I owned investment real estate and worked in a variety of environments in the real estate and alternative investment arenas.
Webmaster/Web Developer/Content Creator
I have owned domains and maintained web sites for more than 15 years. I recently completely rebuilt our Samba School’s web site bringing it up to date with the latest Internet features. The new sites were built using content management systems (Joomla and Wordpress). Although I have done programming in school, I am not a “coder” and thus would not be a suitable candidate for a web developer.
Summary and other skills
Together, all of this experience makes me a true “generalist. I have substantial experience in a wide variety of fields and with a wide variety of technologies. It appears than most positions in the technology industry now require incredible specialization. Most job opportunities contain lists of very specific areas of expertise (i.e. 3-5 years direct experience) which a candidate with such a generalized background does not match.
Since last November, I have been volunteering as an exhibit explainer (docent) at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose. I am passionate about The Tech’s mission and really enjoy the role of teaching and inspiring the public about technology and the history of technology. I believe that I would embrace a job at The Tech with a drive and passion similar to that which motivates my involvement with my Samba School.
For more details of my qualifications and experience, please review the following resources.
Project Management Example (Project and Event Management)
For examples of my web development and writing skills please see these two web sites. I am the site manager and the primary content creator of these sites.
Additional Writing Samples (Editorial)