Tesmond D. Hurd

  • Web Developer
  • Digital Marketer
  • B.S. Business Administration
  • Recreationist

My Resume

Summary

I am an experienced professional with a diverse range of experiences, where I’ve honed skills in leadership, entrepreneurial endeavors, strategic decision making, and bringing projects to fruition. Through multiple organizations, I've spearheaded the creation and management of online content platforms and web applications, leveraging my expertise in web development. Driving website traffic, engagement, and customer acquisition through digital marketing strategies is a hallmark of my work. My involvement in diverse projects and events highlights my commitment to making meaningful contributions beyond the confines of my professional roles.

Work Experience

Transportation Maintenance Specialist (Lead)

Aug 2018-Present

Oregon Department of Transportation — La Grande, OR

  • Develop daily work plans, coordinate resources, train new employees, and ensure managerial expectations are followed for a crew of 4-6 people on night shift.
  • Handle emergency situations on state highways and assess the necessary resources for an effective response.
  • Actively participated in a managerial mentoring program on a monthly basis.
  • Operate a variety of specialized equipment, including road grader, snow plows, dozer, and others to complete highway maintenance projects.
  • Designed a highway crossover project by determining resources and materials needed to bring it to fruition.

Executive Director

Feb 2017-Present

Fire, Weather & Avalanche Center — Island City, OR

  • Use strategic planning to manage an annual budget of nearly $100,000, allocate funding for organizational projects, develop yearly revenue forecasts, and review organizational financial statements.
  • Increased average unique website visitors by 116% YOY using paid digital marketing channels and organic SEO. Total unique lifetime users: 12.9 million.
  • Increased user engagement with an 8% CTR on Google Ads and a 3% CTR on Meta Platforms through effective campaigns.
  • Developed complex GIS web applications and RESTful APIs using HTML, CSS, Javascript, MySQL, and PHP.
  • Facilitated and managed an exclusive partnership with a large wildfire gear company.
  • Successfully applied for and received IRS 501(c)(3) tax exemption status.

Fire Lookout

Jun 2020-Sep 2022

U.S. Forest Service — Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, OR

  • Observed national forest and Wilderness for new wildland fire starts.
  • Communicated new wildland fires, smoke reports, daily weather, and other significant information to a U.S. Forest Service Interagency Dispatch Center.
  • Used Osborne Fire Finder and electronic GIS tools to determine locations of wildland fire starts.

Communications Technician (911 Dispatcher)

May 2014-Jul 2018

La Grande Police Department — La Grande, OR

  • Developed and led the implementation of online employee schedules, increased efficiency for monthly law enforcement reports, and modernized the department website using Drupal 7 CMS.
  • Worked independently often, and in team setting, to coordinate and assign resources to law enforcement, fire, and EMS incidents under extreme stress.
  • Served as one of several individuals on a hiring panel.

Chief Operations Officer

Dec 2011-Dec 2022

La Grande Ride, Inc. — Summerville, OR

  • Developed and maintained complex, proprietary applications for the company's GIS data using HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, and Javascript.
  • Used search engine optimization and social media channels to increase organic user acquisition to 75% and customer retention to near 50% during tenure.
  • Coordinated the onboarding of volunteer meteorologists for the company's weather forecasting services.
  • Attended regular meetings with the President to update a comprehensive business plan, set annual goals, and review financial statements.

Education

Bachelor of Science — Business Administration

June 2017

Eastern Oregon University — La Grande, OR

  • Dean's List: Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2016, Spring 2017
  • Awards: Sapphire Scholarship, Gilbert Scholarship, Nebeker Scholarship, Union County Economic Development Scholarship, Davis-Kirby Award, University Scholar Award

Volunteer Experience

Reserve Police Officer

Aug 2016-Aug 2018

La Grande Police Department — La Grande, OR

  • Used de-escalation techniques and empathy to diffuse situations before they could escalate.
  • Enforced state laws and ordinances while responding to calls for service; conducted investigations and made arrests.
  • Actively participated in regular training of defensive tactics, firearms, domestic violence, traffic code, criminal code, emergency vehicle operations, etc.

Volunteer Firefighter

Jun 2012-Aug 2014

La Grande Rural Fire Protection District — Island City, OR

  • Responded to emergency and non-emergency structure and wildland fires, medical calls, and vehicle accidents while working in synergy with a team.
  • Attended regular and continuous training for fire and EMS topics.
  • Assisted with fire prevention and safety education for elementary students.

Advisor

Feb 2014-Dec 2016

Wallowa Avalanche Center — Joseph, OR

  • Provided technical assistance using Drupal, HTML, CSS, and PHP with the organization website.
  • Advised Board of Directors on information technology needs.
  • Conceived and contributed to the installation of a remote, high-elevation weather station at Anthony Lakes Ski Resort.

Publications

Authored

Mentions

Certifications

All Certificates

  • Level 1 Technician (Amateur Radio Operator): Federal Communications Commission (2012-Present)
  • AIARE Level 1 Decision Making in Avalanche Terrain: American Institute for Avalanche Research and Education (2014-Present)
  • Class A Commercial Driver’s License (including tank and farm endorsement): State of Oregon (2018-Present)
  • Telecommunicator: Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards & Training (2014-2019)
  • Emergency Medical Dispatcher: Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards & Training (2014-2019)
  • Incident Command System (ICS) 800: Federal Emergency Management Agency (2012-Present)
  • Incident Command System (ICS) 700: Federal Emergency Management Agency (2012-Present)
  • Incident Command System (ICS) 200: Federal Emergency Management Agency (2012-Present)
  • Incident Command System (ICS) 100: Federal Emergency Management Agency (2012-Present)
  • NFPA Wildland Firefighter Type 2: National Wildfire Coordinating Group (2012-2014)

Meteorological Certificates

  • Avalanche Weather Forecasting, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2023)
  • S-290 Unit 3: Fuels, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2023)
  • S-290 Unit 9: Observing the Weather, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2023)
  • Weather Radar Fundamentals, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2023)
  • Assessing Fire Danger, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2022)
  • Principles of Convection I: Buoyancy and CAPE, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2022)
  • Principles of Convection II: Using Hodographs, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2022)
  • Principles of Convection III: Shear and Convective Storms, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2022)
  • Stability, Smoke Management, and Fire Weather Forecasting, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2022)
  • Anticipating Hazardous Weather and Community Risk, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2017)
  • Communicating Winter Weather Surface Impacts, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2017)
  • Skew-T Mastery, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2014)
  • S-290 Unit 2: Topographic Influences on Wildland Fire Behavior, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2013)
  • The Structure of the NWS Fire Weather Program, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2013)
  • Fire Weather Forecasting: Clear Communications, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2010)
  • S-290 Unit 11: Extreme Wildland Fire Behavior, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2010)
  • Creating Meteorological Products from Satellite Data, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2009)
  • River Ice Processes, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2009)
  • S-290 Unit 1: The Fire Environment, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2009)
  • S-290 Unit 4: Basic Weather Processes, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2009)
  • Snowmelt Processes, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2009)
  • Understanding the Hydrologic Cycle, MetEd/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (2009)

Skills

  • Programming & Web Development: HTML5, CSS3, Javascript, jQuery, JSON, XML, PHP, MySQL, RESTful APIs, Kotlin; Drupal, Wordpress, Bootstrap; Google Maps SDK; Leaflet; Mapbox JS; Amazon S3, Cloudfront
  • Software: Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Teams, Earth, Visual Studio; Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, Calendar, Play Store Developers; Slack; Zoom; Garmin Basecamp; ArcGIS Web; Android Studio
  • Marketing/Performance: Google Ads, Analytics (UA & GA4), Search Console, Tag Manager; Mailchimp; Meta Ads, Sendgrid
  • Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TweetDeck, Hootsuite, Bit.ly

Web Projects

  • La Grande Police Department: LaGrandePoliceDept.org (2017-2021)
  • JC Meteorological Services: JCMeteorologicalServices.com (2018-2022)
  • James A. Schaeffer Attorney LLC: JASLawFirm.net (2017-Present)
  • UCMugshots.com (2016-2021)
  • A Decent Apparel Company, LLC: ADecentApparelCompany.com (2016)
  • GridWish: Gridwish.com (2016)
  • Central Oregon Avalanche Center: COAvalanche.org (2015-Present)
  • Wallowa Avalanche Center: WallowaAvalancheCenter.org (2014-2017)
  • Passdown: PassdownApp.com (2014)
  • La Grande Rural Fire Protection District: LaGrandeRuralFire.com (2013-Present)

Contributions

  • Volunteer, Brewfest, Terminal Gravity Brewing (Sept. 2023)
  • Attendee, Pacific Northwest Snowfighters Conference, Pacific NW Snowfighters Association, Portland, OR (June 2023)
  • Reviewer & Contributor, Google Maps, www.google.com/maps (2016-Present)
  • Volunteer, Radio & Communications Operator, Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race, Joseph, OR (Jan 2015-Jan 2017)
  • Volunteer contributor to backcountry snowpack observations & analysis, WallowaAvalancheCenter.org, Wallowa Avalanche Center (2014-2017)
  • Contributor to race operations and performed trail work, Roundabout Spout XC Mountain Bike Race, Tollgate, Oregon (July 2014)
  • Co-Contributor, La Grande Ride “RideCast” Podcast & Vodcast series, www.lagranderide.com/ridecast (2013-2018)
  • Contributor to race operations, Oregon Trail Sprint Triathlon, North Powder, Oregon (May 2013)
  • Volunteer contributor to backcountry snowpack observations & analysis, LaGrandeRide.com, La Grande Ride, Inc. (2012-2019)
  • Contributor to race operations, XTERRA La Grande Offroad Triathlon, La Grande, Oregon (July 2012 & 2013)
  • Editor-in-Chief, Tiger Hi-Lites (newspaper), La Grande High School, La Grande, Oregon (2013)