saraewood.com

Sara E. Wood
Email: saraewood AT gmail DOT com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/saraewood
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Summary:
Results-oriented and hands-on. Broad experience in strategic analysis and technical development of systems that address complex business processes. Strong consultative business partnering skills with ability to develop long term executive relationships. Extensive international experience.

Highlights:

Technical and Internet Expertise
- Solid experience in identifying business needs for web systems for high-traffic multilingual sites.
- Performed hands-on development role for high-profile projects with tight deadlines, such as redesigns, systems implementations and custom feature development.
- Designed and co-built fully integrated custom Content Management System applications for Salon.com, the World Health Organization and various Fortune 500 clients.
Global Product Development
- International product management experience in the design, development, localization and execution of web processes and applications such as CMS, interactive front-end web products, and collaborative workspaces.
- Consulted with global business partners at the executive level in order to identify ways to improve productivity and service standards.
Strategy and Implementation
- Served as member of high-level strategy group for the World Health Organization and United Nations to develop cross-cutting strategies for deployment of large UN-wide applications for activities such as GIS, content and document management, security and e-learning.
- Responsible for identifying strategic processes and approach as well as managing implementation of products to meet the vision of business objectives.
- Strategic experience also includes editorial and media planning, brand development, research, public speaking and other public relations.

Experience:

Swivel - San Francisco, CA [03/07-present]
VP & Chief Data Officer
All things data, and then some. Outline high-level vision for the product. Oversee that the product and features are meeting expectations based upon both industry best practices and user/partner needs. Responsible for all aspects of business development, marketing, sales. Serve as the “public face” for Swivel through regular international public speaking engagements, authoring research articles and writing the corporate blog.
Harvard School of Public Health/Partners in Health - Boston, MA [08/05-03/07]
Director Product Management
Set strategy, research, define, and articulate business requirements for global products and services.

Recruited to serve as a member of executive management team.
Lead strategic direction and planning for all aspects of health information management and communication activities, which included all web related activities and global branding.
Defined ways in which systems should support the collection, storage, analysis and dissemination of key heath data.

Kayak.com Consultant - Boston, MA [11/06-03/07]
Content Management Product Consultant
United Nations Consultant - New York City, NY [06/06-03/07]
Product Manager
UN System Influenza Coordination
Senior Product Analyst
UN Secretariat, Department of Management
World Health Organization/United Nations - Managing Director (Chief of Unit P5), Geneva, Switzerland [2001-2005]
Built and managed core team of 20 for corporate internet activities. Overall responsibility for strategic direction and coordination of WHO web sites, software applications and products, including; internal and external communication strategies, relations with departments, regional and country offices, daily production schedules and content in the 6 official UN languages, CMS development, implementation and training, data standards, client support, resource mobilization, program evaluation and monitoring.
- Oversaw global activities across 192 WHO member states, including political and legal implications of using technology across disparate sets of data/content and geographical locations.
- Responsible for many large-scale corporate projects.
Salon.com - San Francisco, California [1999-2001]
Vice President of Product, Creation Engines (2001) Played a key role in the establishment of CE as a Server Appliance builder and software provider.
- Identified and defined and developed appropriate strategic partnerships.
- Designed feature set and associated UI for main products.
- Responsible for ensuring product UI was developed according to customer needs.
- Key member of executive management team.
Director of Production, Salon.com (1999-2001) Director of major department within Salon.com which was responsible for company-wide production needs.
- Served as liaison between all departments of Salon.com and with external partners.
- Oversaw all technical and specialized aspects of producing online content.
- Established technical guidelines for online media production.
- Employed technical skills in a hands-on manner to accomplish project goals.
- Designed business and functional specifications for in-house publishing software for content management.
MetaDesign/MiX Media - Director of Production, San Francisco, CA [1998-1999]
A design and development consultancy, which aimed to solve information management problems through identity, interactive and systems design.
- Responsible for all aspects of managing a department, including budget allocation, project tracking and administration.
- Conducted hands-on web development employing a variety of programming languages.
TRAC/Tides Foundation - Program Manager / Web Developer, San Francisco, CA [1997-1998]
Responsible for TRAC project development, communications, fundraising, administration and outreach.
Center for Study of Responsive Law - Policy Analyst, WDC [1996-1997]
Worked for the Consumer Project on Technology on a variety of international issues including intellectual property, trade, health care, anti-trust and digital technology.

Education:

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts [2006]
Internet & Law coursework – Berkman Center
School for International Training, Brattleboro, Vermont [1995-1997]
Master of Arts, International Management/Communications
University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia [1992-1993]
University of Hawaii, Manoa, Oahu, Hawaii [1990-1991]
Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana [1989-1992]
Bachelor of Arts in English, Minor in History and Anthropology

Boards & publications:

Technical Advisory Board, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation / Gates Foundation & University of Washington
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Volume 85, Number 10, October 2007, 733-820
Learned Publishing, Association of Learned and Professional Publishers, publication date not set

Other skills & interests: