Adam J. Blust

**** ******* **. ** *******, WI ***03 608-***-**** adlu78@r.postjobfree.com

Writer/Editor/Designer

My professional career has been a mixture of writing, editing, graphics, web design and web management, most with an education and technology focus. I have been an education reporter for a daily newspaper, as well as worked on the web for the Wisconsin state teachers’ union and a subscription online database for teachers licensed by more than 30,000 schools. I have always combined my passion for writing and editing with technology and education. Experience

Writing

• Graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism.

• Six years as a daily newspaper reporter, covering mainly local government and education, both K-12 and higher ed. Specialized in research articles designed to give local taxpayers more understanding of how their school systems worked.

• Three years in communications at the Wisconsin Education Association Council, the state’s teachers’ union. Wrote newsletter articles, press releases, and various communications pieces.

• Wrote collateral materials for website clients - mainly small business and non-profit organizations - over a decade of running my own web design practice.

• Completed other freelance writing projects, including a collection of small feature profiles of grant recipients for Forward Community Investments.

Editing

• As a reporter on a small afternoon newspaper, edited news articles, features, technical writing and headlines. Spent time working on the copy desk directly.

• Edited news releases, feature articles, headlines and website copy for the Wisconsin state teachers’ union.

• Proofread and rewrote copy for a decade’s worth of web design clients. Used editing to hone their message to appeal to their specific audiences.

Web

• At the Wisconsin Education Association Council, designed, programmed and maintained an intranet system in the early days of the web that was copied by the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers.

• At a Wisconsin state agency charged with distributing Homeland Security money through local grants, redesigned the agency’s website with a custom content management system.

• Spent a decade solving problems for small businesses and non-profit organizations through their websites, building custom content management systems that made managing their online presence faster and easier.

• Other freelance web projects included: a streamlined online help system for the state Department of Health Services; a custom content management system for an early online political magazine; and an online services directory for NAMI Wisconsin, a statewide non-profit serving those with mental illness and their families.

Design

• Created logos and web graphics for a wide range of web design clients using the entire Adobe Creative Cloud suite of programs.

• Designed posters and laid out newsletters for the state teachers’ union.

• Designed a wide range of print materials for a subscription online database company, including brochures, signs, posters, buttons and reports.

• Managed the complete redesign of the subscription database company’s website, including all graphic elements, user experience, and custom content management components. Employment

1/14-present

Technology & Design Manager

TeachingBooks Madison, WI

3/10-11/13

Outreach Specialist

Wisconsin Office of Justice Assistance Madison, WI 2/01-2/10

Web Developer/Owner

lucky8ball design Madison, WI

9/00-1/01

Interactive Web Developer

Customer Potential Management Madison, WI

10/96-9/00

Information Systems Specialist/Writer/Editor

Wisconsin Education Association Council Madison, WI 8/87-4/93

Government/Education Reporter

The Muskegon Chronicle Muskegon, MI

Education

Bachelor of Science in Journalism

Northwestern University Evanston, IL

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