GovWebworks Team Spotlights

GWW Opinion

April 30, 2024

GovWebworks News

Our teams make up the bones of our organization. The following GovWebworks team spotlights highlight the unique and valuable contributions that our Developer & DevOps, Drupal, Creative, Quality Assurance, and Project Management teams provide for our clients. We wanted to give our clients and potential clients, as well as job seekers and other collaborators, a chance to learn more about the people that make our company shine.

See below to learn what the teams do and who makes up the teams, and follow the links to the full spotlights to find out what projects team members are on, where they’ve worked before GovWebworks, and what they enjoy about the work they do.

We hope you get the chance to connect with a GovWebworks team member on a project soon!

Developer & DevOps team

“Writing software is not just about numbers and bits,” says Kevin Ferguson, Director of Software Development at Portland Webworks. “It’s about understanding and caring about the people using the software.”

As custom software consultants since 1999, we place people at the heart of everything we do—whether it’s the end users we design for, the developers crafting the solutions, or the clients driving the vision. Our approach to software development and DevOps balances innovation with practicality. “Leading edge, not bleeding edge” isn’t just a tagline; it defines our mission. While we remain attuned to the rapid pace of technological change, we recognize the cost of following every trend. By honing our expertise and staying adaptable, we make thoughtful, effective choices that align with client goals.

For more details, visit the Developer & DevOps Team Spotlight at Portland Webworks (our parent company).

“One of the most important skills for a software developer to learn is how to communicate effectively with clients.” - Ezra Friedlander, senior developer

Here’s a snapshot of perspectives from our Developer and DevOps team:

Chris Davis: Director of Technology
“Our DevOps team does more than just deploy and manage servers. We consult with clients to help them choose the right platform and design the best architecture, and we ensure that their software is secure and performs efficiently at scale.”
Kevin Ferguson: Director of Software Development
“Writing software is not just about numbers and bits, it’s about understanding and caring about the people using the software.”
Ezra Friedlander: Senior Software Developer
“One of the most important skills for a software developer to learn is how to communicate effectively with clients.”
Gilbert Luong: Software Developer
“Working in a dynamic environment on different teams and projects has made me a more effective developer.”
David Schlundt-Bodien: Software Developer
“A focus on coordination, communication, and the flexibility to facilitate a creative space is what turns a good application into a great one.”
Ryan Olsen: Software Developer
“If you never try something new or never break anything, you won’t learn and grow.”

Find full details at the Developer & DevOps Team Spotlight…

Drupal team

“Portland Webworks stood out from the other companies I applied to because they use Drupal for their content management system (CMS) of choice,” says PWW developer Dang Tran. “After 10 years of working on web development, I wanted to focus on complicated projects using the Drupal CMS and I saw many big and diverse projects showcased on the company’s website.”

Dang’s experience is similar to that of the entire Portland Webworks Drupal team. They enjoy the diversity and depth of our Drupal clients and projects and appreciate that many of the sites we build provide important public services to citizens. Since our first Drupal project in 2014 with the Iowa Department of Administration, we’ve found Drupal to be the best fit for government teams that need to update and manage large sites requiring depth of security and functionality.

For more details, visit the Drupal Team Spotlight at Portland Webworks (our parent company).

Here’s a snapshot of perspectives from our Drupal team:

Hellen Fitzpatrick: Software Development Manager
“Drupal’s global community is made up of experts and specialists that share what they make for the greater good.”
Adam Kempler: Drupal Software Developer
“Augmenting Drupal with AI is transforming the experience of creating, finding, and consuming content for clients and audiences alike.”
Dang Tran: Drupal Software Developer
“I love working on open source software and building flexible customizations that allow developers to extend and modify functions as needed.”
Brian Martino: Drupal Software Developer
“The Drupal CMS allows the freedom to create completely unique web applications to suit the individual client.”
Rasha Sharif: Drupal Software Developer
“Drupal’s rich feature set, coupled with a supportive community and commitment to excellence, contributes to its success as a versatile and reliable platform.”

Find full details at the Drupal Team Spotlight…

Creative team

People often ask, “What exactly is the difference between UX and UI designers?” We thought we’d take this opportunity to answer that question, and introduce our User Experience (UX) and User Interface (UI) designers. Multiple perspectives are crucial to designing good solutions. The Portland Webworks/GovWebworks Creative team is highly collaborative, with UX and UI designers represented on most projects.

So, what’s the difference between UX and UI? User Experience (UX) team members are involved in requirements gathering, research, business process analysis, user testing, and low-fi wireframe solution designs. User Interface (UI) designers are responsible for exploring and developing new styles, branding, look and feel, high-fi page designs, as well as logos and other aspects of a site or agency’s brand.

For more details, visit the Creative Team Spotlight at Portland Webworks (our parent company).

Here’s a snapshot of perspectives from our Creative team:

User Experience

Sarah Crossman: Director of User Experience
“I love the collaborative approach we take to every project and the way we help one another deliver our best work.”
Brett Kana: User Experience Designer
“The Creative team has each others’ backs and are always sharing new ideas and resources to boost our collective capacity.”
Tracy Totman: User Experience Designer
“I love working collaboratively to combine artistic touches with user-friendly solutions to find the perfect balance between looks and functionality.”

User Interface

Peter Clark: User Interface Designer
“We all bring something unique to the table and accentuate our team’s goals when we are involved on a client project.”
Hunter McPeak: User Interface Designer
“I’ve found a home and a calling in creating beautiful site designs and I’m always trying to learn where design is heading.”

Find full details at the Creative Team Spotlight…

Quality Assurance team

“Some people think QA is just the testing phase of a project,” says PWW Quality Assurance (QA) Engineer Diane Bienkowski, who wrote a blog on Why Quality Assurance Shouldn’t be an Afterthought. “QA is ideally part of the whole project, from discovery and requirements gathering to implementation and project planning, client interactions, and of course the actual testing process.”

As Diane notes, at Portland Webworks, the Quality Assurance team is known for its active participation in the agile project lifecycle, from kickoff to completion. QA engineers are deeply involved in scope planning, sprint grooming, and ongoing communication with the rest of the project team. By identifying issues early on, QA can help mitigate potential risks and minimize costs and delays in later stages of development.

For more details, visit the Quality Assurance Team Spotlight at Portland Webworks (our parent company).

Here’s a snapshot of perspectives from our QA team:

Alison Schestopol: Director of Project Management and Quality Assurance
“Our QA team is focused on the highest level of quality with every project, using new tools and methods to ensure we never disappoint our clients and their users.”
Diane Bienkowski: Quality Assurance Engineer
“I enjoy the fact that our QA team is involved in the whole software development lifecycle process. A holistic view of application development makes QA exciting for me.”
Sol Blair: Quality Assurance Engineer
“Because our team has collectively worked across many sectors of the software industry, we bring a wealth of testing methods and project management experience to the company.”
David Read: Quality Assurance Engineer
“I value the opportunity to contribute to the creation of websites and apps that are functional and accessible for all users, thereby making a meaningful impact in the digital world.”
Alice Wilkins: Quality Assurance Engineer
“While testing is a big part of the QA process, we’re more than just the end of a story, we’re there at the beginning, the middle, and all of the parts in between.”

Find full details at the Quality Assurance Team Spotlight…

Project Management team

“Agile project management principles are critical to building trust with our clients,” says Alison Schestopol, Director of Project Management at Portland Webworks/GovWebworks. “Clients see results early and often and provide real-time feedback that is integrated into the product features.”

Since 2012, starting with the State of Idaho, we’ve embraced agile principles and Scrum methodologies on our software development teams. This approach offers predictability for our teams, transparency for our clients, and overall project satisfaction. Agile and Scrum project management breaks large bodies of work into incremental blocks that are reviewed early and often with stakeholders. Agile’s incremental development process, known as Sprints, ensures predictable expenditure, ongoing business value delivery, and alignment with client expectations.

For more details, visit the Project Management Team Spotlight at Portland Webworks (our parent company).

Tammy Schlesinger, Project Manager & Agile Lead

Here’s a snapshot of perspectives from our Project Management team:

Alison Schestopol: Director of Project Management
“Agile is critical for us to build trust with our clients. Clients see results early and often and provide real-time feedback that is integrated into the product features. Agile emphasizes delivering business value, which is something clients get to experience throughout our projects.”
Jim Lochran: Project Manager
“I appreciate that agile favors working software over in-depth documentation.”

Max Levi: Business Analyst
“Agile/Scrum practices enable our teams to quickly get client feedback and identify problems with internal communication and project processes, and provide visibility into project constraints, risks, and progress.”
Tammy Schlesinger: Project Manager & Agile Lead
“Agile processes structure the work and make space for constant communication and feedback, pushing teams to continuously improve. That improvement and growth gets stronger with each project we tackle.”

Eleanor Glover: Project Manager
“I like that Agile/Scrum allows for large bodies of work to be broken up into incremental blocks of work that are reviewed early and often with stakeholders. Having the right people with authority to make decisions while also being flexible is key to our efficiency, success in facilitating projects to their completion on time and on budget.”

Find full details at the Project Management Team Spotlight…