KAREN KENNEDY

Asheville, NC(512) 966-1203

kennedyemp@gmail.com

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Successful information technology professional with diverse and extensive experience focusing on application software management, software application analysis, website designing, corporate branding, testing and training. Proven achievements in time management providing hands-on guidance with software applications, meeting client needs, designing client websites and corporate branding, software testing and training. Considered a high-energy leader with a reputation for integrity and quality. Team oriented with excellent interpersonal communication skills working with other team members.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Design and develop websites – website content management. Design and create newsletters, logos, PowerPoint presentations, flyers and business cards. Computer Graphics/Printing Prepress - image editing/desktop publishing/corporate branding. Digital photographer and photo editor. Develop test cases and perform extensive testing on software applications (new and existing functionality). Develop practices and accompanying review criteria to meet compliance requirements for audits. Software training, designed the classes as to course content and created the training documentation Create interactive online tutorials and E-Learn courses. Automate documents in Microsoft Word and WordPerfect through templates and macros. Proficient in the following software programs:

JIRA Issue and Project Management Tracking Software Oracle SQL Developer & MS Visual Studio 2012 Shell Flypaper (Flash Interactive Content Creation Platform -

multi-touch, interactive & motion graphics) Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS) and

Microsoft Test Manager Document Management Programs – DocsOpen,

SoftSolutions, Proliance and SharePoint Microsoft Suite - Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel

and Access (PC & Mac) Programming Languages – Visual Basic for Applications,

XML, and SQL Creative Cloud CC (2015) & Adobe Photoshop

Lightroom CC (2015), Dreamweaver & Illustrator Web Programming Languages – HTML and PHP

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

QA ANALYST, BENEFITFOCUS, Greenville, SC 2013 - 2016Responsible for developing and executing all phases of testing, including functional, regression and system level tests. Verify integration readiness and software performance using current test methodologies, both automated and manual testing. Convert behavior based functional requirements and technical requirements into comprehensive test scripts to be executed in an integration environment. Maintain defects and collaborate with development staff to resolve issues. Perform/report on testing – all phases. Includes executing SQL queries and SQL updates on database tables. Create and update test scripts and test cases as new functionality is added. Manage defects by recording, reporting, analyzing, and tracking defects to resolution. Work with managers and the engineering team to ensure test plans and test cases accurately map to functional and

technical project requirements. Execute test cases and plans across multiple service and application platforms. Includes

creating/importing/exporting .xml and .txt test data files. Report test results to the engineering team and managers, and perform regression testing to follow up on testing

feedback, non-conformities, issues, and problems.

QA ANALYST/COMPLIANCE ANALYST/PROJECT MANAGER, FLUOR GOVERNMENT GROUP, Greenville, SC 2010 – 2013 QA analyst for in-house and 3rd party software applications utilizing Microsoft Team Foundation Server (TFS) and

Microsoft Test Manager. Develop comprehensive test cases for the environments (Unit, Integration and User

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Acceptance Testing and Production). Includes SSRS reports associated with the in-house and 3rd party applications. Execute SQL queries and SQL updates on database tables. Develop Practices for the Fluor Government Group (FGG) IT department outlining guidelines to be followed to meet

compliance requirements for Government audits. Develop the criteria as well as the format for the reviews mandated by the Practices. Develop and conduct training on the Practices, areas of insufficiency identified in reviews and the in-house and 3rd

party software applications. Create all training materials. Review and evaluate change requests on a monthly and quarterly basis for determining degree of compliance as a

function of the Change Management Practice. Conduct training on areas of insufficiency identified in the reviews. Review/evaluate software testing documentation for software installations/changes on a quarterly basis as dictated by

the Software Testing Practice. Project Manager and IT Administrator for the various Software Applications.

GRAPHICS/INTERACTIVE/WEBSITE DESIGNER, THE ADEC GROUP, Greenville, SC 2008 - 2010 Design/develop websites utilizing Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator and Flash. Design/develop banner ads and web animations/videos utilizing Flash. Convert various movie formats into Flash video. Create/Design corporate branding for use with various print options (business cards, flyers, logos, etc.). Corporate website management - monthly and quarterly statistical reporting, inputting content for online courses in

various languages, adding/uploading new and archiving old product content (documents, images and Flash videos). Create online interactive content - tutorials and E-Learn (SCORM compliant) courses utilizing Flypaper (software for

creating multi-touch, interactive or motion graphics content which can be output as a Flash project). Manual QA testing with test cases for updates to online applications for client. Mainly regression testing. Revise and

create test cases as necessary for testing.

GRAPHICS/WEB CONSULTANT/DESIGNER, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR, Greenville, SC 2007 - 2008 Create graphics and websites for small businesses utilizing Adobe Creative Suite (Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator,

etc.) and HTML/CSS coding.

IT SPECIALIST/PROGRAMMER, SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, Baltimore, MD 2005 - 2007 Create templates and macros in Microsoft Word Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) to automate appellate decisional

documents for the Office of Adjudication & Review. Automate the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) instructional documents for the decision writers drafting the actual

decisional document. Make recommendations on the best approach to accomplish the automation goals. Perform extensive testing on the templates and macros prior to their rollout. Train the decision writer trainers on the templates/macros. Create the accompanying documentation/handouts and

PowerPoint presentations. Conduct training/meetings online with NetMeeting.

Awards: SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION, THE 2006 COMMISSIONER’S TEAM AWARD Finalist for American Council for Technology (ACT), the 2006 Intergovernmental Solutions Award Recipient of an Associate Commissioner’s Citation - ODS 2006 AC Honor Awards

GRAPHICS/WEB CONSULTANT/DESIGNER & TRAINER/PROGRAMMER, INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR, Atlanta, GA 2004 – 2005

OFFICE AUTOMATION TRAINER/APPLICATION AUTOMATION DEVELOPER, PAUL, HASTINGS, JANOFSKY & WALKER LLP 1991 – 2004

Create templates and macros in Microsoft Word (VBA) to automate the legal departmental documents, i.e., Litigation, Real Estate, Employment Law, Immigration and Estate Planning.

Develop the content, practice exercises and manuals/guidelines for the software training classes. Conduct the training.

SOFTWARE TRAINER/USER SUPPORT SPECIALIST, VINSON & ELKINS 1988 – 1991

Develop the content, practice exercises and manuals/guidelines for the software training classes. Conduct the training.

EDUCATION

Graphic Design Communications, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas