Phillip Emmons

  System Administrator / Software Engineer  

  Web Developer  

IT professional with 5+ years of experience working across software development and systems administration - building new solutions as well as maintaining and improving existing ones, covering ground that typically requires two separate roles. Brings experience across full-stack web application development (PHP, MySQL, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, Bootstrap) including custom authentication, CRUD interfaces, and automated email workflows; CMS and managed hosting administration (WordPress, Wix, DreamHost, SiteGround); Windows and Ubuntu Linux server and endpoint administration; and CI/CD pipeline configuration via GitHub Actions. Administered infrastructure supporting an international developer research panel of 185,000+ developers across 80+ countries, with sole responsibility for programming, deploying, and tracking all survey operations - reducing survey build time by 80% and translation turnaround by 93% through workflow redesigns. Maintains 99.9% system uptime, implements Data Loss Prevention (DLP) protocols, and upholds WCAG 2.1 accessibility standards across all platforms built and maintained. Holds a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, Cum Laude.

  INdustry Experience  

Website Administrator / Developer  (Volunteer)  |  January 2024 - Present

Monterey Bay Area Roundup - Nonprofit Organization  |  Monterey, CA

• Inherited a site built in 2019 running on HTML5, JavaScript, CSS3, and plugins (123FormBuilder, UserWay) that had gone months without updates or maintenance; refactored the entire codebase to PHP/MySQL, HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, and full WCAG 2.1 compliance, replacing plugin-dependent functionality with custom-built solutions.

• Built a custom PHP/MySQL backend including: admin authentication with role-based CRUD controls; a searchable member database aggregating payment records, activity registrations, merchandise orders, group affiliations, and contact details; automated email notifications triggered on form submission; and a contact routing system that forwarded inquiries directly to the appropriate Chairperson.

• While hosted on Namecheap, configured a GitHub Actions YAML workflow to automate deployments from a public GitHub repository directly to the production server, eliminating manual file transfers on every code change.

• Maintained 99.9% uptime and event registration data integrity through consistent backup schedules, security patching, and platform version history.

• Upheld a 24-48-hour Service Level Agreement (SLA) for content updates and deployments by managing project workflows in Trello across 28 Chairpersons and stakeholders, supporting a site serving 1,044 unique visitors annually.

• Generated and delivered weekly sales reports to Registration and Treasurer Chairpersons to support financial oversight and planning.

• Implemented a bilingual (Spanish/English) platform by integrating professional translation services, expanding organizational reach into Spanish-speaking communities in the Monterey Bay region and contributing to growth in attendance from that community.

• Designed and executed an infrastructure migration from Namecheap to Wix in February 2025, integrating FastComet for audio file hosting and a dedicated mail server to support ongoing operations.

• Introduced automated online payment processing for the first time by implementing a ticketing and payment system accepting Wix Payments, PayPal, and cash as part of the migration, handling 400-450 registrations per event held every two years.

• Verified WCAG 2.1 and PageSpeed Insights compliance on the migrated Wix platform through both automated and manual testing.

October 2023 - January 2024: Intentional career break for rest and family following departure from Evans Data Corporation.

System Administrator / IT Manager  |  September 2021 - October 2023

Evans Data Corporation  |  Santa Cruz, CA

• Served as sole IT owner for a 13-person research firm, administering 1 on-site server, 4 off-site hosting servers, and 12 managed endpoints across all departments.

• Maintained the infrastructure supporting an international developer research panel of 185,000+ professional developers across 80+ countries, ensuring availability for multilingual survey deployments in respondents' native languages.

• Acted as primary IT partner to department leaders and cross-functional teams, overseeing all infrastructure, systems administration, and technical needs.

• Built and maintained a 24/7 Data Loss Prevention (DLP) protocol across all 12 endpoints using Code42, which monitors file movements in real time to distinguish benign collaboration from security threats; supplemented by weekly full backups stored both on-site and in the cloud, achieving 100% endpoint coverage and confirmed backup recoverability.

• Upgraded infrastructure across all 9 on-site endpoints, migrating from a mix of Windows 7 and critically under-patched Windows 10 installations to a fully updated, standardized Windows 10 environment.

• Programmed all survey operations on LimeSurvey, reducing survey build time from 12-18 days to 3-4 days (an 80% reduction in build time), while maintaining up to 1-5 concurrently active, daisy-chained surveys to support continuous, multi-phase research processes.

• Redesigned the multilingual survey translation workflow by standardizing templates and centralizing the process under a single operator, cutting turnaround from 3 weeks with 3 staff members down to 3 days with one person (a 93% reduction in cycle time and a 67% reduction in personnel required per deployment).

• Deployed all survey campaigns and tracked results daily using LimeSurvey's built-in reporting tools, compiling fulfillment counts and completion rates by geographic region and developer type into shared Google Sheets, supporting daily research reporting and client delivery schedules.

• Administered all five servers, performing regular OS patching, security updates, and performance monitoring to sustain 99.9% uptime for all survey operations, research data storage, and company websites.

• Maintained an existing shared Network File System (NFS) supporting continuous collaboration across development and market research teams, managing user permissions and access rights as staffing and project needs changed.

• Oversaw frontend development and CMS administration across four custom-coded web platforms (HTML5, CSS3, Bootstrap, JavaScript) and one WordPress site hosted across managed environments including DreamHost and SiteGround.

• Built web-based applications using the PHP/MySQL stack with a focus on database indexing, normalization, and server-side configuration.

• Owned and managed the Mailgun API infrastructure, executing 16-25 survey outreach campaigns per year to reach that international developer panel.

• Tracked and renewed 15 software licenses across 8 vendors, monitored end-of-life timelines for all tools and languages, and led code and configuration updates to maintain a current, supported technology stack.

• Maintained multiple domain configurations and infrastructure security including DNS management, SSL certificate renewals, and regular system security patching.

Software Developer / IT Specialist  |  August 2020 - September 2021

philemmons.com - Independent Consulting  |  Marina, CA

• Guided a referral client through a full web presence setup: assisted with domain registration, provisioned shared hosting on HostGator, and built and customized a WordPress site that generated measurable growth in user interest and contributed to securing financial support for the client's nonprofit religious initiative.

• Serviced approximately 15 client devices across seven referral and word-of-mouth clients, performing hardware upgrades (RAM, CPU cooling, hard drives), sourcing peripherals, executing Windows OS upgrades for three clients, recovering forgotten login credentials, factory-resetting 12 tablets and 6-8 PCs, and using Windows diagnostics (DISM, chkdsk, ipconfig) to resolve corrupt system files, drive errors, and network issues.

• Delivered one-on-one instruction in basic and advanced Windows functions and provided ongoing on-call support for tablets, PCs, and web hosting issues and improvements.

May 2018 - July 2019: Food service employment following graduation while actively pursuing software engineering and IT opportunities. Job search subsequently disrupted by COVID-19 hiring freeze (late 2019 through mid-2020).

__TECHNICAL skillS_ 

Web Engineering: PHP, MySQL (Relational Design & Optimization), HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (Familiar), Bootstrap

Backend Development: User Authentication, Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), CRUD Application Development, Form-to-Database Workflows, Automated Email Integration, PayPal Integration

CMS & Managed Hosting: WordPress, Wix, DreamHost, SiteGround, WordPress.com, HostGator, FastComet, cPanel, Namecheap

Systems & Infrastructure: Ubuntu Linux (Server Management & Updates), Windows 10, Server Administration (On-site & Off-site), Domain/DNS Management, SSL/Security Patching, Mail Server Administration, NFS

Security & Compliance: Data Loss Prevention (DLP), Code42 Endpoint Protection, WCAG 2.1 Accessibility, Infrastructure Governance

Version Control & Deployment Tools: Git, GitHub, GitHub Actions (CI/CD), Git Bash, FileZilla, MySQL Workbench, phpMyAdmin, VS Code

Survey & Data Platforms: LimeSurvey (built-in reporting), Mailgun API, Google Sheets

Research & Reporting: Daily Survey Tracking, Regional Performance Analysis, Developer-Type Segmentation

Professional Workflows: Agile/Scrum, Trello (SLA/Task Management), Wireframing, UML Use Cases, Entity-Relationship Diagrams

Languages: English (Native)