Thom Brooks
Thom.Brooks@gmail.com
Austin, TX 78749
512.553.5975
Employment History and Professional Experience
Data Projections, Inc. ? Austin, TX
A leader in audio-visual system solutions, providing advanced communications products that help keep people ?simply connected.?

Audio/Visual System Designer / Programmer	September 2009 - Present
Audio/Visual System Programmer / Field Technician	May 2009 ? August 2009

A/V System Design
- Work with end users to determine the best technology that solves their problems and meets their needs, within budget.
- Perform site surveys and create design proposals for clients, including detailed scopes of work and timelines for projects.

- Designed over 200 systems for higher education, corporate, nonprofits, healthcare, government, houses of worship and residences.
- Earned InfoComm CTS (Certified Technology Specialist); working towards CTS-D (Design Specialization).
- Earned Crestron DigitalMedia Certification - Engineer (DMC-E) and have designed over thirty DigitalMedia systems. 

A/V System Programming
- Program Crestron, AMX, Extron and other control hardware to integrate a wide variety of A/V technology, simplifying the user experience for clients.
- Provide training on new systems to end users and produce technical documentation.
- Install and support systems across a 67,000 square mile territory (one quarter of Texas). 

- Designed and programmed a scalable infrastructure for videoconference classrooms and control room using Crestron DigitalMedia.
- Programmed and installed thirty rooms of A/V in a new Medical Education Building, including lecture halls, conference rooms, library, small group study rooms, science and anatomy labs.

Project Management
- Work with clients, sales staff, and technicians to estimate project costs and duration. 
- Supervise install technicians on-site.
Certifications
Programming for Certification (CAIP)	Crestron	In progress	
Certified Technology Specialist ? Design	InfoComm	In progress

DigitalMedia Certification ? Engineer	Crestron	May 2011
Certified Partner	Chief	February 2011
Certified Technology Specialist	InfoComm	October 2010
Converge Pro - Certified Technology Specialist	ClearOne	April 2010
Intermediate Crestron Programming	Crestron 	May 2006
Essentials of Crestron Programming	Crestron	March 2006 


Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum ? Chicago, IL
The mission of the Adler Planetarium is to inspire exploration and understanding of our universe.

Contract Programmer	January 2009 ? April 2009
Senior Systems Engineer	April 2007 ? December 2008
Computer Support Supervisor	August 2002 ? March 2007
Systems Design and Engineering
- Designed and built a new server room, 48-blade render farm, and 15 TB SAN in support of ?One World, One Sky,? a full-dome show starring Elmo, Big Bird, and Hu Hu Zhu, in collaboration with Sesame Workshop and the Beijing Planetarium.
- Provisioned iCaption, a domed-theater closed-captioning system for hearing-impaired patrons, using WiFi-enabled PDAs.
- Designed and built a distance-learning video studio capable of bringing the entire museum to students around the world.
- Automated exhibits and meeting rooms using Crestron touch panels and processors to simplify operation and save resources.
- Worked with NASA to set up connections for visiting schoolchildren to talk to astronauts on the International Space Station, witness shuttle launches and landings, and learn about space.
System Administration
- Responsible for Open Directory and OS X File Servers, SAN (XSan / StorNext), DHCP and DNS (ISC), Web Server, Database and Web Application Servers (Apache, MySQL, PHP and other languages), Backup software (BakBone NetVault, Retrospect) and tape robot.
- Managed network architecture (HP ProCurve) and firewall configuration (Cisco PIX 515 and ASA 5520).
- Managed software loadsets from Mac OS 8.5 through OS X 10.5.
- Used open-source tools to monitor the status of network equipment and servers (netdisco, nagios).
Programming
- Created numerous Flash- and Director-based exhibits, website activities and instructional tools ? many of which utilize dynamic back-end database connections or RSS feeds to update their content.
- Implemented an inter-system messaging framework that allowed all exhibits in a gallery to simultaneously change content (XML-RPC, Nebulae, Java, PHP, Lingo).
- Wrote or modified existing PHP code and shell scripts to solve a variety of data-munging problems.
- Commissioned an AIR client / SQL server solution that ran digital signage at box offices and handled ticketing and calendaring for special events.
Supervision / Training
- Managed a staff of tier-one and tier-two support technicians.
- Created an interview process to assess a candidate?s technical skills in a high-stress situation.
- Wrote technical support literature, provided training seminars, and held classes for end users. 
Technical Support
- Provided third-tier in-house support for all network, server, exhibit, and end-user issues.
- Documented systems using wikis, diagrams, and technical writing skills.
LivingText, Ann Arbor, MI
LivingText produced educational software for Mac / PC / Palm PDAs, focusing on Meteorology, Earth Science and problem-solving.

Lead Programmer, System Administrator	1999 ? 2001

- Configured and managed all domains and servers (web hosting, email, database, file sharing, DNS, backups), and a seven-workstation LAN.
- Supervised a small team of programmers on various e-learning projects, primarily using PHP and Director. Our products used an internet connection to download new data about the user?s geographic area.
- Implemented an online store, payment gateway, and merchant account to accept credit card payments to sell LivingText products.

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI	
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.

A/V Programmer I, School of Social Work	1998

- Created touch-screen wayfinding kiosks for two new buildings on campus. Written in Macromedia Director, they performed queries on Oracle and Access databases and automatically updated/cached directory information.

Advanced Visualization Lab, Media Conversion Facility	1995 - 1998

- Taught Director and Photoshop at Camp CAEN, the Computer Aided Engineering Network?s summer camp for children ages 12-17.
- Worked as a help desk staffer in a computer lab environment, assisting with 2-D and 3-D modeling / analysis software packages, and the conversion of various analog and digital media.
Affiliations
Divine Canines
Divine Canines provides free animal-assisted therapy services including literacy programs at elementary schools, wounded warrior rehabilitation, and specialized services to health care and residential institutions. ( http://www.divinecanines.org/ )
Volunteer	March 2011 ? Present
My wife and I adopted our standard poodle Clytie from the Houston Poodle Rescue in May 2009. She was part of a litter of 26 dogs from a puppy mill, and had not been socialized. We worked hard with Paul Mann of The Canine Center for Training and Behavior, and Clytie earned her American Kennel Club ?Canine Good Citizen? certification in February 2010. This enabled us to apply for the Divine Canines therapy program, which Clytie, myself and my wife Christina completed in March 2011. Clytie and I visit a nursing home two to four times per month, and Christina takes her to visit the Austin Children?s Shelter, Austin State Hospital and the Barking Book Buddies program.
Special Days Camps
Special Days Camps exists to provide a safe and memorable camping opportunity in a medically supervised environment for children who have experienced cancer, their siblings, and their families.

Tech Team Director / Webmaster	2004 ? Present
Camp Counselor	1998 ? 2003

While volunteering on a pediatric oncology and hematology ward at Mott Children?s Hospital during my undergraduate studies, I learned about Special Days Camp. Founded in 1979, it is the world?s second longest-running camp for children with cancer and their siblings. There are two one-week sessions each summer; one for kids who have or have had cancer, and a separate week for their siblings. In my first six summers, I volunteered as a camp counselor; by 2003, I had worked with all age groups.

In 2004, I realized I could better serve camp by applying my technical skills, and formed the Tech Team. I took on responsibility for maintaining the website ( http://www.specialdays.org/ ) year-round. We currently use the Joomla CMS for content, Zen Cart for donations, Flickr for photos, and Facebook for a forum.

During the two weeks of summer camp, my team members are photographers and videographers. Using Photoshop, Aperture, and Final Cut Pro, we select, edit and post the best photos and videos to flickr, YouTube and Facebook each night. We also handle all A/V setups (outdoor music, project movies, etc.) During the year, other projects have included brochures, DVDs, and newsletters.

 Adler Planetarium and Astronomy Museum, Chicago, IL
Green Team	November 2005 ? December 2008

The Adler Green Team brings together members of various departments, and members from other cultural institutions in the Chicago area, to share ideas about reducing Adler?s energy footprint, minimizing waste, using non-toxic chemicals, implementing recycling programs, and other environmental and energy-focused initiatives.

Bike to Work Coordinator	April 2005 ? December 2008

In June 2004, I began bike commuting year-round; by 2008, I had logged over 20,000 miles. In early 2005, I coordinated a brown-bag lunch session about bike commuting, and the movement grew. Partnering with the Active Transportation Alliance (ATA), Adler participates in events year-round. In 2007, Adler won the Commuter Challenge award for highest staff participation (21%) during bike-to-work week among similar-sized non-profits.
Education
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Bachelor of General Studies, computer programming concentration	May 2000