Brandon Wolf Email & Phone Number

Houston, Texas Area

I was asked to begin accepting writing assignments by the publisher of OutSmart Magazine in 2008, on a freelance basis. OutSmart is an award-winning monthly magazine for Houston's gay community. • Have written 53 published articles for OutSmart, 7 of which were cover stories.• Topics ranged from personality profiles to organization histories.• Scheduled and conducted interviews for stories.• Transcribed digital recordings of interviews.• Took digital photos.• Researched Internet materials.• Researched archival materials.• Scanned and enhanced borrowed photographs.• Captured screenprints from on-line videos and websites.• Submitted story drafts, and reviewed final copy-edited versions.• Submitted photos and captions to accompany text.• Prepared sidebar copy.• Prepared responses as needed for Letters to the Editor.• Public figures interviewed included: Houston Mayor Annise Parker (pre-election and post-election); Judy Shepard (mother of Matthew Shepard); Lt. Daniel Choi (West Point graduate and Iraq War veteran who challenged Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy); Jon Marans (playwright and author of The Temperamentals); Mark Doty (author and poet); Sarah Ferguson (Duchess of York).• Researched and authored 57 year history of Houston's Diana Foundation. The organization plans to publish the history as a book on their 60th anniversary in 2013. • Researched and authored 30 year history of Houston's Legacy Community Health Services (originally the Montrose Clinic). The article was the cover story for the October 2011 issue.• Examples of my published articles are available in the OutSmart folder contained in my LinkedIn profile.

3121 San Jacinto

I worked with veterans who served during or after 09/11/2001, helping them become job ready and assisting them in navigating through the process of finding employment. I also worked to help them increase their money management skills.I was also responsible for producing 20 videos for the grantee's 'Homefront Chats' on YouTube - veterans talking about their experiences trying to start civilian careers. The project was completed one month ahead of time. Additionally, I wrote and taught a class offered once a week - "How to Build a Budget" - which taught students the basics of a building a budget that works. This was accomplished in just one hour of instruction.Because of my writing and public relations background, I was often called upon to write veteran success profiles, prepare flyers for various events, and take pictures for use by Goodwill.

4060 Main Street; Houston, Tx

I supported a staff of six employment professionals at Goodwill-Houston's Job Connection at their River Oaks location for 4 months, and then was transferred to their Job Connection for veterans, to fill a vacancy. I supported a staff of nine employment professionals in the Veterans Programs.

Downton Houston, Texas And My Home

I was asked to join the Technology Project Management group in 2002, to perform a variety of communication and training functions. From 2003 to 2004, the technology department was migrated to IBM, and technology provided on a vendor basis. In 2005, it was migrated back in-house. In late 2005, I was included in large group of employees offered severance packages, and retired after 27 years at the same firm. • Assisted with writing group communiques and email broadcasts.• Designed and implemented internal and external group websites for Texas project managers and clients.• Designed and implemented intranet portal for all technology project managers worldwide.• Migrated portal from stand-alone to an all-technology portal. • Prepared flowcharts and Powerpoint presentations for executive managers.• Given responsibility for organizing and managing IBM's timekeeping function for project managers. The group went from on-line input to IBM's mandatory batch processing. Designed forms for submitting requests, interfaced with data entry group, and learned and taught IBM's timekeeping reporting system.• Prepared and implemented training for the timekeeping system.• Given responsibility for official technology project management communication worldwide. • Developed Lotus Notes mailing lists for all divisions and kept them current.• Wrote proposals for New Hires Class and New Hire Onboarding Procedures.• Given total responsibility to facilitate three sessions of two-hour mandatory monthly worldwide project management training forums. Utilized Placeware, Sametime, operator-assisted phone connections. • Developed agendas for forums, with variety of speakers. Coordinated and published Powerpoint package for each monthly forum. • Implemented on-line feedback for measuring forum metrics. Published monthly forum scoreboard for management. Monitored attendence and provided absence reports. • Authored 100+ page Playbook for producing monthly forums.

Downtown Houston, Texas

I was asked to fill a position that became open when the employee left the bank. This involved using a variety of programming tools to extract data from the banking system's masterfiles. The work was done on a project basis, and was tailored to individual in-house clients. During the 15 years I held this position, it was moved from one functional to another several times, as a result of re-organizations.• Examples: identifying zero balance and dormant accounts for escheatment; identifying maturing loans and CD's; creating mass transactions to correct interest rate errors; identifying customers for particular sales promotions.• When some requests were needed on a regular basis, I learned how to set them up in the production environment, to run automatically. This included writing on-line documentation of the programs, and instructions to be followed if the program ended abnormally.• In 1992, I was granted production access from my home computer, and could respond quickly to any issues that arose. • As the function expanded, two more specialists were hired. I designed and implemented a database to record all requests. This allowed us to identify and modify similar programs, rather than starting from each new project from scratch. • Database was eventually expanded to prepare status reports, record labor, and produce invoice data monthly. • Expanded our cost center and bank officer tables to include descriptions, full names and financial ledger hierarchy.• Chosen to design and implement a 'Surf Shop', to introduce technology employees to the Internet.• Learned how to extract data from Customer Information System, and create reports of customers' full banking relationships.• Member of the Millenium Crisis Center, which was formed to handle any change of century problems.• Assisted conversion team when particular Harlingen branch relationships was sold, by providing customer data and then conversion cassettes.

Downtown Houston, Texas

My interest and experience in computer processing lead me to transfer from the Trust Department to the Technology Department in 1985.• Made regularly scheduled calls on branch banks, to answer technology questions, and to review and grade their use of technology.• Wrote call reports summarizing each bank visit. • Took calls from branch bank personnel who had technology questions and issues. • Given responsiblity for coordinating all Bank Control File (BCF) change requests from branch banks. The BCF controlled features that could be customized to each bank, such as interest rates or bank statement 'taglines'.• Responsible for taking minutes of the weekly Loan Programming Review Committee. This involved updating the status of all outstanding programming requests and distributing the report statewide. • Took part in conversions of newly purchased banks into our systems. • Assisted in implementing system changes when member banks were allowed to become branch banks.

Downtown Houston, Texas

In 1982, a management decision was made to separate the accounting and the systems functions, to provide improved services to clients.• Authored proposal for new systems unit.• Enacted proposal, and migrated all system functions from the staff accountants to a systems staff.• Chosen as work-flow coordinator for eight member systems group.• Developed standardized forms and efficent procedures to enter raw data, distribute computer printouts and microfiche, resolve production challenges, and build/test new computer routines. • Interfaced with staff accountants, data entry group, computer operations staff, and programmers to deliver on-time, high quality product to clients.• Monitored current priorities of systems staff on weekly basis.• Initiated weekly staff meeting with systems group manager.• Developed status report for group, and oversaw weekly updating prior to staff meeting.• Conducted training sessions for staff, to keep them current with our in-house employee benefit plan accounting system.• Oversaw cross-training of staff, to ensure accurate coverage of accounts, during employee illnesses, vacations, and transfers out of unit. • Participated in hiring of new staff, and in annual reviews of current staff.

Downtown Houston, Texas

The passage of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) in 1974 launched a major marketing program of employee benefit plan financial services by Texas Commerce Bank (later to become JPMorgan Chase). When I joined, the field was undergoing extremely rapid expansion.• Prepared financial statements for numerous plans, based on automated journal entries posted by the plan administrators.• Prepared individual statements for each employee in the plan. • Calculated termination payments for employees leaving their company, based on the legal provisions of their plan. • Developed a standardized form for termination payment requests.• Accompanied plan administrators for presentation of financial reports to clients, and answered accounting questions.• In 1979, chosen as accountant for largest account, Farm Credit Banks.• Oversaw conversion of Farm Credit account from computer processing vendor (Comshare) to new in-house computerized system.• In 1980, chosen as the accountant for the Occidental Petroleum Corporation's Thrift Plan, the largest and most important client to date.• Coordinated every stage of six-month parallel processing with the Plan's current custodian, Bank of America (BOA). • Identified several hundred employee accounts out of balance at BOA, and worked as consultant with Occidental's task force set up to reconcile out of balance accounts.• Coordinated conversion of account from BOA to our in-house system.• Prepared programming specifications and tested all accounting routines.• Supervised printing and mailing of employee statements on a quarterly basis.• Wrote detailed call reports of frequent visits to Occidental.

Annandale, Virginia

Virginia's community college system was established in 1966. When I joined in 1971, it was busy building campuses, hiring staff and developing cirricula. • Brought awareness to the local community of the education opportunities that existed at the college, which had five campuses.• Interviewed instructors and students for feature stories about the college's program offering.• Took photographs and color slides for publicity purposes -campus life, classroom instruction, sports events, theater productions, club activities, and college ceremonies.• Took part in organizing publicity events - press conferences, campus openings, and presentations of awards. • Wrote speeches for the college president for official ceremonies. • As college grew, a part-time publicity employee was assigned to each campus, and I was given the additional responsibility of coordinating the distribution of all news releases through a central office and likewise managing the photography lab. A distribution clerk, newspaper clipper and photo lab assistant reported to me. • Instituted filing sytem for photographs and slides.

Chatham, Virginia

Hargrave Military Academy is a private boarding school in Chatham, Virginia. I worked at Hargrave through two school years, and one summer term.• Taught tenth grade English - both grammar and literature -to all of the academy's sophomores, during school years.• Taught remedial fifth and sixth grade students, during summer term.• Used all audio-visual equipment available at the time, to enhance learning experience. • Arranged off-campus excursions to further enhance the classroom instruction.• Served both school years as the advisor to the school yearbook, The Cadence. • Under my guidance, the yearbook underwent a dynamic upgrade to modern yearbook design.• By meeting deadlines early, we were able to include a ten-page introduction in full color - a rarity during those years. • Served rotation duty as weekend officer on duty, study hall monitor and event chaperone.

Bachelor Of Arts, Journalism, English, Education

Activities and Societies: College Newspaper College Radio Station

Associate In Applied Science, Accounting, Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: Student Activities Office AccountantCum Laude Graduate

Freshman & Sophmore Classes, Liberal Arts

Activities and Societies: Assistant Editor 1966 Yearbook Editor 1967 Yearbook Royalty Weekend Committee

High School Diploma, General Education

Activities and Societies: School Yearbook