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	Awarded a TSPA Gold Star Award (November, 2004) The Texas School Public Relations Association awarded The Texas Education Agency Staff the Gold Star Award for distinguished achievement in the category of Posters (over 20,000 print run). The poster I designed, "A Sculptor's Point of View," showcased the 3D sculpture of a student in the Texas School District and combined vector artwork of the sculpture with a rich blue backdrop and a close up photo of the piece. The TSPRA has been awarding excellence in school communications since 1962.		Articles Links News


	Taking Home Platinum & Gold! (March, 2003) The Texas Education Agency’s Division of Communications and Public Information was awarded the Platinum Award for Excellence, the highest honor given by the Texas School Public Relations Association (TSPRA) for its Student Success Initiative Toolkit. As the designer, my role in this successful campaign was to provide graphics support for a variety of collateral including brochures, bookmarks, bumper stickers, and custom illustrations. The judges felt, that “it clearly is the most professional of the entries in this category.” A Gold Star Award was also given for my “Education in Review” brochure to honor Best in Category. This separate campaign incorporated stylized illustrations to explain Texas reforms and improvements made in Education. TSPRA is a professional organization with more than 500 members, primarily public information officers and communication directors of school districts and educational organizations, dedicated to promoting public schools through effective communications. It recognizes school communicators for outstanding work in both print and electronic media at its annual conference. More than 800 entries were received. Also, Crystal Commendations were presented for outstanding entries that featured special programs and events, and a single Platinum Award was given for the best overall communication program.

	Public Education Information Resource Goes Live (January, 2003) Three Texas state agencies have collaborated to build a new web site that provides access to a wide range of data and statistics about education in the state. The Texas PK-16 Public Education Information Resource at www.texaseducationinfo.org was developed by the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and the State Board for Educator Certification to provide a single access point for the student and educator data they collect from public schools, colleges and universities, and related organizations. As the GUI/Web Architect for the project, I took into account the specific needs of each agency while giving the site it's own unique style. By collaborating with all parties involved, I was able to come up with a successful and elegant solution that will constantly be evolving. For the first time, Texas state leaders, public school and higher education administrators, educators, researchers, and other interested people will be able to access integrated data from these agencies to make the best decisions for closing the gaps that challenge Texas education. Texas Commissioner of Education Felipe Alanis said, “By coordinating vast amounts of educational data onto an accessible and user-friendly platform, we are continuing our commitment to providing the public with meaningful information in a cost-efficient, streamlined way. The new consolidated website will help inform data-driven decision making and support our ongoing pursuit of educational excellence for all Texas children.” Commissioner of Education Don Brown said, “The information available at this new web site will give all of us opportunities for valuable insights into how students move through our educational system. With that knowledge, we’ll be able to come up with new policies and procedures to improve education in Texas.” Bill Franz, executive director of the State Board for Educator Certification, said the new website “shows that Texas continues to lead the nation in providing the public and policymakers high-quality information about its education system. The vast amounts of new information available should greatly increase the public’s access to details about the Texas education system, as well as provide a valuable resource for policymakers as they continue to improve our pre-kindergarten through college system of education .”

	Successful TEA Site Emphasizes Usability (December, 2002) After eight months of work, the new Texas Education Agency Website has been launched. Following a classic "C" shaped design, the new GUI promises improved performance with the most important links appearing above the fold and improved graphics. While not stopping at it's aesthetic appeal alone, the new site boasts Vignette managed "hot" links that keep track of the most popular locations on the site and presents them neatly in order to the left on the homepage. This response to users needs is a welcome addition to a site that has been carefully planned and researched. Regarding the visual design work for which I was entirely responsible, the TEA Web Architect had this to say, "Incidentally, the large majority of the feedback we’re getting is enthusiastic about the new look and structure. You were instrumental in the look and feel design, and you should know that most everyone I run across thinks it is beautiful."

	Collaboration with Quicksilver leads to Gold (September, 2002) Quicksilver, an independent web solutions company, contacted me to help develop the GUI for Age of Gold, a site based on the popular book by H.W. Brands. Collaborating with the Quicksilver team helped convert a very basic site into something that reflects Brands' work more accurately. Following the success of the book, the Austin Chronicle picked up on the story, adding to the books popularity.

	Hired by Texas Education Agency (September, 2001) TEA has hired me for the Graphic Designer III position in its Agency Infrastructure division. The role the Agency was looking to fill is one of extensive web, print, and illustration skills to compliment its existing staff of three designers and two typesetters.

	End of Employment (August, 2001) My employment with Portaris has come to an end. Through my nineteen month experience with the company, I’ve gained important management and leadership skills in web development. I’ve worked with talented people and enjoyed the opportunity to collaborate with them on various projects. Although my latest ventures have included designing successful web solutions, I still enjoy designing award-winning print and illustration work. With this end comes new and exciting opportunities to expand my knowledge in the design field and build upon my past successes. I’m looking forward to the challenge.

	Meetings Austin Advertising Federation Austin Area Multimedia Alliance AIGA Austin Association of Internet Professionals Central Texas Direct Marketing Association Austin Area Macromedia Users Group (AMMUG) Meetings are held he second Friday of each month from 1-4 8712 Shoal Creek Blvd. TDH - WIC Classroom A Contact Steve Morrison for more information