top of page

Alina's CV

Alina has over fifteen years of experience in technology at Yale University.

Professional Experience

Associate & Assistant Director of Information Technology

Office for International Students & Scholars, Yale University          February 2019 - Present

  • Responsible for all aspects of technology for the department, including the website, associated web application integrations and upgrades, hardware and equipment, and support and training

  • Manage the OISS Department Website (oiss.yale.edu)
    o    Provide instruction and support to department staff 
    o    Currently planning & organizing a complete site overhaul and redesign
    o    Determine site objectives by analyzing user requirements and expectations, business needs, and envisioning system features and functionality
    o    Work with the Office of Accessibility to verify that the site meets W3C accessibility guidelines, and continue to ensure that all new content is accessible
    o    Design and develop custom feeds from OrgSync and Campus Groups

  • Custom development and coding for OISS web applications 

  • Manage Audio-visual Equipment and Configuration
    o    Managed a $30k AV equipment overhaul in partnership with AV Systems Design, including researching department needs, equipment, and custom device comparisons. 

Assistant Director of Information Technology

Office for International Students & Scholars, Yale University     February 2019 - June 2023

  • Responsible for all aspects of technology for the department, including the website, associated web application integrations and upgrades, hardware and equipment, and support and training

  • Manage the OISS Department Website (oiss.yale.edu)
    o    Provide instruction and support to department staff 
    o    Currently planning & organizing a complete site overhaul and redesign
    o    Determine site objectives by analyzing user requirements and expectations, business needs, and envisioning system features and functionality
    o    Work with the Office of Accessibility to verify that the site meets W3C accessibility guidelines, and continue to ensure that all new content is accessible
    o    Design and develop custom feeds from OrgSync and Campus Groups

  • Custom development and coding for OISS web applications 

  • Manage Audio-visual Equipment and Configuration
    o    Managed a $30k AV equipment overhaul in partnership with AV Systems Design, including researching department needs, equipment, and custom device comparisons. 

Senior Academic Technologist

 Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University             July 2013 - June 2015

  • Support Manager for Classes*v2: Yale’s primary LMS
    o    Managed the transition of Tier 1 support to the Help Desk

  • Planned, designed, and maintained Drupal sites for use in Yale courses and academic projects

  • Researched, developed, and implemented technology-enhanced teaching and learning technologies, such as websites and blogs, mapping and geospatial tools, mobile learning tools, classroom and online presentation and collaboration components, and Classes*v2 course and project sites, for use by Yale faculty in their courses and research

  • Incorporated and integrated a diverse set of digital media technologies on multiple platforms for consumption on mobile devices, in person, and/or via recorded or live screencast 

  • Created and managed unique and creative projects both individually and as a team

Faculty Support Specialist

Faculty of Arts & Sciences IT Support Program, Yale University       June 2008 - June 2013

  • Collaborated with faculty to provide technical support and instruction for the utilization of technology in teaching, research, and administrative applications

  • Delivered exceptional customer service, technological proficiency, flexibility, and approachability

  • Managed and administered technical support for The Koerner Center for Emeritus Faculty

Academic Web Developer

Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning, Yale University       June 2015 - February 2019

  • Manage the CTL departmental website and oversee upgrades and integrations
    o    Provide instruction and support to department staff, including accessibility best practices 
    o    Worked with the Office of Accessibility to verify that the site met W3C accessibility guidelines, and continue to ensure that all new content is accessible

  • Plan, develop, and implement original web applications and scripts in support of academic and departmental needs/requirements, and add custom features and increase functionality
    o    Developed a custom application in Ruby on Rails (Alina’s Tools) that utilizes the Canvas API to pull data and make changes to the Canvas learning management system (LMS)
    o    Determined site objectives by analyzing user requirements and expectations and envisioning system features and functionality
    o    Responsible for setting expectations and features, priorities throughout development life cycle, design methodologies and tool sets, and designing and conducting tests

  • Support advanced use of Drupal websites for use in Yale courses and academic projects

  • Manage the CoursePress (WordPress) integration into Canvas

  • Consulted on development requirements for grant and special project selections
    o    Defined and analyzed development requirements to meet the expectations of stakeholders and intended end-users, including security and accessibility concerns

Education

Yale University

Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Anthropology, 2008

Concentration in consumer perception and behavior. Senior thesis on the perception of exclusivity as a motivation for luxury consumption

Skills and Interests

Professional Skills

•    Experience in project and product management and ability to multitask effectively
•    Excellent oral and written communication skills 
•    Skilled at communicating complicated technical concepts and collaborating with people at multiple levels throughout the university and the community
•    Strong strategic, creative, and planning skills, and implementing user-centered design
•    Enjoy enriching technical knowledge by researching and learning new technologies and software, participating in educational opportunities, reading professional publications, maintaining personal and professional networks, and participating in professional organizations

Personal Skills

•    Passion for intellectual enrichment and new technology and experiences
•    Highly adaptable and resourceful, and a fast learner

Technology

  • Proficiency with Ruby, Ruby on Rails, JavaScript, Python, JQuery, and PHP languages

  • High-level knowledge of Drupal 7, WordPress, APIs, HTML5, CSS, JSON, Bootstrap, Git/GitHub version management, PostgreSQL/MySQL databases, and CartoDB/Leaflet geospatial applications

  • Familiarity with Adobe Creative Suite and Google Analytics

  • Strong proficiency in user experience and design, accessibility compliance, technical writing, and producing training and instructional materials

Miscellaneous Interests

Travel, home repair, trash fishing, crafts, mobile technology and games, taking things apart to see how they work, word games, reading, and bargain hunting

Awards & Certifications

2018: Linda Lorimer Award for Distinguished Service


2018: Staff Service Recognition Award for Ten Years of Service at Yale

2014: CIO Spot Award


2014: ITIL Service Management Framework

Organizations & Memberships

Future Leaders of Yale

Future Leaders of Yale (FLY) is an affinity group for young professional staff members. Positions held include Founder and Co-chair. Currently Events chair

Connecticut Young Professionals

Connecticut Young Professionals (CTYP) is a state-wide professional organization. Currently Co-chair. Organized two Young Professionals Symposiums

Yale Alumni Service Corps

Taught coding concepts to underprivileged children in the Philippi township of Capetown, South Africa

Association of Yale Alumni

Delegate-at-Large for the Annual Assembly, 2019 - 2021

Higher Education Web Professionals Association

Member and Conference participant

Toastmasters

Member and Participant

International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP)

Member, Web Accessibility Specialist (WAS) certification in progress

Northeast Regional Computing Program (NERCOMP) 

Member and Workshop Participant

New Media Consortium (NMC)

Member and Conference Participant

Educause

Member and Conference Participant
Member of the Educause Learning Initiative and Games and Learning Community Group

Volunteer Work

Boys and Girls Club of New Haven
 

United Way of New Haven
 

Yale Day of Service
 

New Haven Reads

Presentations & Trainings

NAFSA Conferences

• 2023: Work Smarter Not Harder: Innovative Workflows to Improve Everyday Efficiency

Zoom Training Workshops
 

• 2021: Best Practices for Securing Zoom Meetings and Events, co-hosted by Yale’s Office of DEI and Yale ITS
• 2021 and 2022: Zoom Like a Pro: Hosting & Securing Successful Meetings, hosted by Yale’s C&T Summer Training Program


 

Yale Digital Conference


• 2018: Integrating Drupal and OrgSync Events
• 2016: Harnessing the Power of Views
• 2015: Search, Filter, and Compare: Building a Specialized Search Site

 

InstructureCon (Canvas LMS) Annual Conference


• 2017: Harnessing the Canvas API for Custom Intel Educause Learning Initiative (ELI) Annual Conference
• 2016: The Yale Nature Walk: Engaging students with Mobile Active-based Learning

 

 

NERCOMP Annual Conference


• 2015: Blogging 3.0: From Personalistic Chronologies to Information Architecture
• 2015: Developing Interactive Maps with Drupal (poster session)

 

 

New Media Consortium Annual Conference


  • 2015: Beyond the Blog: Innovating Information Architecture (poster session)
 

 

Yale Technology Summit


• 2015: Creating a Peer Instructional Learning Environment Using Clickers/Turning Point Technology with Classes v*2 (poster session)
• 2015: The Yale Nature Walk: Engaging Students with Mobile Active-Based Learning
• 2014: Beyond the Blog: Innovating Information Architecture

International Travel

2019: Iceland


2018: South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana

2015: China, Malaysia, and Japan


2009: Spain, Italy, England, Amsterdam, and France

2007: Peru

bottom of page