Ben Guaraldi

about me • resume • programming • filmmaking • contact me

Resume

2016-present

PEPFAR
DATIM Development Team Lead

Support and maintain DATIM, the DHIS2 installation for the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR):

  • Supervise nine developers, assigning tasks, clarifying requirements, guiding work, and reviewing code
  • Develop and maintain nineteen react DHIS2 apps for DATIM’s use (six of which are open source), including one for user administration, one for approving data values, and one for deduplicating data
  • Develop and maintain the Mechanism Importer, a Python application for syncing with FACTS Info and managing sharing and other metadata based on the sync
  • Develop and maintain MERtide, a Python script for creating DHIS2 forms with multiple levels of tabbed navigation, dynamic calculation, dynamic mutual exclusion, integrated validation rules, and static HTML drafts
  • Write DHIS2 documentation, including chapter 38 on additional data dimensions (one of the top 15 contributors)
  • Animate, edit, narrate, and publish videos to promote PEPFAR apps and DHIS2
  • Develop code changes to several open source DHIS2 core apps
  • Develop and maintain PEPFAR’s utility repository, with over 3,000 commits of Python, SQL, R, Ansible, node.js and shell scripts for upgrading DHIS2 as well as maintenance of data, metadata, users and systems
  • Liaise with University of Oslo developers on PEPFAR’s required and desired changes to DHIS2 core
  • Give presentations at the DHIS2 Symposium and the DHIS2 Annual Conference on a variety of topics

2014-2017

iFactory
Solutions Architect

Consulted on technical aspects of web development projects throughout their lifecycle, from pre-sales to launch:

  • Wrote technical portions of 130 web development proposals representing over $13M in sales. Prepared and presented the technical portions of 50 pitches based on these proposals, which led to winning 30 projects
  • Vetted and managed vendors to implement projects in Cascade Server, Craft, Django, Drupal, ExpressionEngine, eZ Publish, Kentico, Plone, Salesforce, SharePoint, Sitefinity, Spotlight, Typo3, and WordPress
  • Grew our internal Drupal/WordPress development team from one developer to nine developers
  • Oversaw website development, managing risk and translating technical language for non-technical team members and vice versa
  • Researched, reported on, and recommended software solutions for various clients
  • Wrote HTML, CSS, Javascript, and PHP for several client websites: framingham.edu, health.ri.gov/homehealth, itrekleaders.org, rc.partners.org, roadside-mba.stanford.edu, and bennington.edu

2012-2014

Boston University Center for Digital Imaging Arts
Web Development Instructor

Taught classes to adult students on web development technologies including PHP, MySQL, Javascript, jQuery, mobile web development, htaccess, Bootstrap, PhoneGap, and AJAX. Topics included:

  • Planning, writing, commenting, and debugging code
  • Normalizing, importing, and querying databases
  • Writing code that writes code
  • Interacting with web services including Flickr, Twitter, Paypal, and Authorize.Net
  • Developing mobile apps including a coupon calculator and a notepad
  • Developing websites and applications including personal portfolios, film catalogues, magic 8-balls, screensavers, and computer-vs-user blackjack
  • Security including protection from SQL injection, remote command execution, price manipulation, cross-browser scripting, permissive authentication, and brute force guessing of session ids

2005-2011

48 Hour Film Project
Chief Technology Officer / Director of Outreach

As CTO, implemented and maintained the corporate technology infrastructure used by the headquarters team, 100 consultant city producers, and 50,000 international participants each year:

  • Initiated, developed, and maintained a 100-user, 200-page intranet including a content management system, database management and reports, database-integrated and timed-delivery mass emails, a calendar of worldwide events, syllabi, blogs, photo approval workflow, and automation of many common tasks
  • Rewrote and maintained a 600-page, interactive, database-backed, public website: www.48hourfilm.com
  • Built and managed a server to deliver targeted mailings to 50,000 subscribers spread over 100 lists
  • Developed an e-commerce system to bill 1,000 customers each year

As Director of Outreach, was core communications strategist between management team and project participants:

  • Hired over 120 staff to produce the competition in 100 cities and 25 countries, increasing by 400% what was already the largest timed film festival in the world. Extended the festival’s reach to all six continents
  • Assisted with the planning and execution of post-season competitions and Filmapalooza, our annual culminating event for 200 filmmakers, held in conjunction with the National Association of Broadcasters, the Miami International Film Festival, and Cinequest. Increased by 500% the size of Filmapalooza
  • Co-wrote, directed, edited, and acted in What’s the 48, a promotional film for the festival, featuring the work of 140 filmmakers from 10 countries
  • With the rest of the management team, supervised 100 cities each year, servicing 50,000 filmmakers

2004-2018

48 Hour Film Project
City Producer (Boston, New York, San Francisco, Black Rock City)

Managed a film festival eleven times in Boston, as well as in New York, San Francisco, and Black Rock City:

  • Recruited teams, ran events, mastered and emceed screenings, oversaw judging, and made contacts
  • Increased the size of the Boston festival by 450%
  • Showed 850 films made by 12,000 filmmakers, with participants returning at a rate of 70%

1995-2000

Dartmouth College
Bachelor of Arts

Major: Film Studies with focus on Computer Science