Customer Service Data Analyst

Debbie Rankins Nicholas

Biography

Ms. Nicholas brings years of experience implementing custom solutions to meet specific needs. She holds a Master's Degree in Information Science from the University of North Texas. She was a member of the original team that established Dallas’s Reconnections Drop-Out Recovery and Prevention Centers. After leaving public education, she worked in professional development with Pearson Digital Learning until joining Curriculum Advantage, Inc where she managed the Professional Development team. Moving to corporate, Ms. Nicholas applied that expertise to product design managing a large scale migration to a web-based solution. In addition, Ms. Nicholas successfully moved development operations into an Agile environment while effectively updating Legacy product lines. Ms. Nicholas has a track record of providing outstanding customer service and support utilizing sound research-based methods to successfully meet the challenges of an ever changing landscape.

Working with Agile shops in start-ups as well as established organizations, Ms. Nicholas has been an active participant at each stage of the Agile cycle - from Product Owner to managing UAT. While working with QA teams, it became apparent that gathering details and pulling together documentation was needed for Internal as well as external audiences. So, she migrated to technical documentation in order to foster and promote organization wide communications.

Experience

Extensive experience in SaaS as well as Enterprise markets providing unique solutions that meet specific needs, developing models that integrate existing successes while providing creative solutions to address critical issues. Skills/Qualifications

● Ten years experience working with Agile development teams, at all levels. Well versed in Atlassian products: JIRA and Confluence.

● Ten years experience managing national consulting teams, responsible for recruiting, hiring, and managing daily operations for the team.

● Ten years in customer service and experience with various CRM software - including Salesforce.

● Adept at employing backward design principals determining achievable, measurable goals attacking critical areas of need.

● Masters in Information Science with a firm foundation in research, project management, and accountability through metrics in order to forecast accurately and plan appropriately while employing interim test-retest adjustments.

● Ten years experience employing a variety of tools for large and small presentations. Highly proficient in consumer as well as proprietary software tools. Well versed in GoToMeeting; WebEx; Google Hangouts: BlueJeans, etc.

● Technical writing proficiency utilizing the appropriate tool for each specific need. Master Editor. Equally comfortable when drafting simple as well comprehensive documentation from a touch point communication piece to a comprehensive industry efficacy White Paper. Proficient in MS Office products including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, OneDrive, Outlook, Sharepoint, etc.; Adobe product suite; Atlassian product suite as well as managing Confluence add-ons (such as Scroll; Viewport; Gliffy; etc.).

● Ten years experience in LMS design, management, implementation, as well as execution. Experience with HTML, Articulate, Robohelp, MadCap Flare, etc.

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Debbie Rankins Nicholas

● Project management expertise, often managing three or more projects simultaneously while accomplishing critical tasks, even when the odds are not favorable. Adept in crafting achievable, measurable, cost-effective goals focusing on critical areas of need from the onset, establishing a clear criterion for success.

● Extensive experience managing large scale data aggregation, disaggregation, and data management. Well versed in daily operations needs. Very skillful in data analysis and data mining and have developed unique, replicable methods, as needed, to obtain data from even the most ambiguous data set. PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Concurrent Technology, Inc - Duluth, GA (2016-present) Technical Document Writer Responsible for taking inputs from multiple technical resources (developers, project managers, field service engineers, etc.) and translating them into user friendly documentation for dissemination to both Concurrent and client users. Collaboration and creative problem-solving in regards to researching, crafting, and presenting content.

Establish and create strategic business improvement initiatives to reformat existing documentation for enhanced clarity and ease of use. In addition to streamlining the document-creation process, as well as providing internal training resources.

HotSchedules - Alpharetta, GA (2012 - 2016) Sr. Technical Writer Confluence and schooX courseware administrator for an Agile product development for the SaaS hospitality market. Leading process improvement teams tasked with identifying and resolving document deficiencies in a legacy product in order to productize a formerly custom solution. Developing internal improvement initiatives that significantly impact business process effectiveness and efficiency. Create courses, for an internal audience, employing Articulate Storyline. Coordinate documentation for product development and quality control with the Austin, Cape Town, Shanghai, and Sydney offices. Performance Matters, LLC - Roswell, GA (2011 – 2012) Senior Product Owner Provide SaaS project management solutions for the education analytics market. Manage the product backlog, providing strategic custom solutions, tracking business objectives, manage the iterative release process, ensure product integrity, define sprint objectives, create acceptance criteria and use cases acting as a liaison between development and business stakeholders while tracking business priorities focusing on market viability.

● Key member of the inaugural team moving development to an Agile environment.

● Overhauled Internal customer documentation and reporting process.

● Integrate unique solutions that meet current as well as potential customer needs while keeping an eye on the bottom line.

Curriculum Advantage, Inc - Lawrenceville, GA (2004-2011) Vice President, K-12 Education Provided strategic custom solutions, customer service, support operations, product field testing, and corporate research.

● Conducted field testing from inception to the final analysis for several new product lines

● Instrumental in attaining a 75% migration of existing customer base to new web-based platform. Attained an 85% renewal rate in year one for migration to new platform.

● As Vice-President of Professional Development, managed the professional development team. Debbie Rankins Nicholas 2

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Debbie Rankins Nicholas

Next Generation Curriculum Services - DeSoto, TX (2003 -2004) Product Owner Provided educational research for public and private institutions, instructional technology integration services, and professional development saving school districts, on average, ten’s of thousands of dollars by repurposing existing products and providing instruction in how to make the most of existing resources. Pearson Education (Formerly NCS Learn) - Mesa, AZ (1999-2003) Educational Consultant Conducted internal and external staff development; developed online K-12 courses; and maintained 200+ customer base. Maintained 99% renewals for subscription based customers and annually exceeded sales quotas for professional development days by 25% or more. Dallas Independent School District - Dallas, TX (1997-1999) Specialist IV Implemented a 9th grade credit recovery program through a TEA funded grant that improved graduation rates.

● As a member of the inaugural team, was hands-on in building 9th grade recovery centers that grew from three regional centers to 47 programs in less than a year.

(1993-1997) Computer Lab Manager; English as a Second Language Teacher

● Managed a credit recovery lab, from inception, that was instrumental in improving graduation rates by 15%

● Taught ESL students representing over a dozen different countries. Maintained proficiency rates on high-stakes exams that exceeded those of native speaker cohort groups. EDUCATION

● Ed.D(c), College of Education (Higher Education) - University of North Texas, Denton, Texas - GPA 4.0

● Masters, Information Science, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas – GPA 4.0

● B.A., English, Minor: History, University of Texas, Arlington, Texas CERTIFICATIONS

● English as a Second Language (Grades PK-12); Lifetime

● Secondary English (Grades 6-12); Lifetime

● Secondary English Language Arts (Grades 6-12); Lifetime

● Secondary Speech Communications (Grades 6-12); Lifetime

● Georgia Certificate of Eligibility: Induction Pathway 3: Speech (6-12); Expires 6/30/21

● GCPS Substitute Teacher Training Program Certificate of Completion; 9/16 COMMUNITY SERVICE

● Current Issues in Education - Peer Review Editor

● Duluth Reads Committee, Duluth GA: A successful community-wide reading event

● Duluth Fall Festival, Volunteer

● Duluth Mayor’s Advisory Committee: multiple sessions Debbie Rankins Nicholas 3

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