About Rachel Winchester
Table of Contents:
Summary, Speaker Bio, Company Profile, Timeline
Summary
Professional Bio
Rachel Winchester, or Win for short, is an independent product designer, public speaker, and the founder of The Focus Assistants, a Brooklyn-based startup. Catch her hosting the Philly WordPress Meetup virtually every month and The WWW (Work with Win) Livestream on LinkedIn every week. Win started Visual Webmaster L.L.C. where she pursues a variety of internet projects as well as hosts art & design workshops, showcases, and related events. She always looks to collaborate with other technologists, creatives, and entrepreneurs in innovative ways.
Speaker Bio
Regular Appearances
Visual Webmaster, L. L. C.:
Company Profile
Mission Statement
Our mission at Visual Webmaster, L. L. C., is to create innovative internet products that are not only functional designs but are also meaningful cultural artifacts or art. We strive to create experiences that are aesthetically pleasing, emotionally engaging, and culturally relevant. We believe that the internet is capable of connecting people and creating impactful experiences, and we are passionate about creating products that reflect this potential.
We actively seek clients and partners who want to build internet products that resonate on another level with their users. We seek work with people who are not only critical thinkers, but are also intentional world-builders.
Tagline
“Building Value with the Web”
Values
- Disruption
- Empathy and Self-Awareness
- Open-Source Spirit
Current Roles
Product Designer and Founder
Visual Webmaster, L.L.C.
Co-Founder
Organizer, Host, and Speaker-wrangler
Organizer
Organizer and Spokesperson
Reviewer
Current Roles
- Product Designer and Founder
- Visual Webmaster, L.L.C.
- Startup Founder
- Organizer, Host, & Speaker-Wrangler
- Organizer
- Organizer, Spokesperson, & Speaker-Wrangler
- Organizer & Spokesperson
- Reviewer
Timeline
2024
Temple University
Courses include:
- Understanding Debits & Credits
- General Ledger and Month End Procedures
- Closing Procedures and Financial Statements
Organizer & Spokesperson
Supporting Black WordPressers and allies:
blackpresswp.com
BlackPress @ WordCamp US 2023
2023
Co-Founder
Virtual productivity service for procrastinators powered by real humans.
Responsibilities:
- Product Design
- Finance
- Marketing
- Operations
Host
Impromptu livestream on LinkedIn and Facebook; Interfacings with special guests every month
Work Session @ The Focus Assistants
2022
Internet Artist Residency Program
Director
At DigitalCube, I developed an artist residency program to foster the creation of internet art and build a virtual collection to live on DigitalCube’s platforms. This program’s framework can be used by many other internet companies, as well.
Blog Posts:
WordCamp Montclair 2022
Organizer/Speaker/Sponsor
- Volunteer organizer on the Sponsorship committee
- Presented WordPress as a Paintbrush: an Introduction to Internet Art
- Represented DigitalCube’s Product, Shifter, at a Sponsor table
2021
User Experience/Product Designer
DigitalCube provides WordPress hosting solutions of any scale. We are open-source advocates, AWS Certified Engineers, and Amazon Advanced Technology Partners. Based in Kobe, Japan, and Philadelphia, PA.
Responsibilities:
- Created live onboarding workshop: “Getting Started with Shifter’s Static Sites”
- Designed discovery session for client onboarding
- UX research & design for “Visit East Passyunk” website
- Redesigned website: getshifter.io
- Design second version of Shifter’s dashboard
- Design mobile version of Shifter’s dashboard
- Redesigned domain name attachment process
- Updated high-priority support docs for Shifter
- Assisted with events marketing strategy
- Assisted with content marketing strategy
- Wrote blog posts
- Designed LabWorks website (innovation lab)(under development)
- Sponsored WordCamp Europe 2022 in Porto, Portugal
- Sponsored WordCamp Montclair 2022 in Montclair, New Jersey
- Managed support chat via Intercom
- Managed Twitter and LinkedIn
Organizer & Host
Organizes virtual and in-person meetings twice a month for the WordPress community in Philadelphia. Currently 3000+ members.
Member
Joined Indy Hall coworking community (Philadelphia & Virtual). Frequently speaks at “Show-and-Tell” and organizes events.
Philly WordPress Meetup 20th Anniversary Party
2020
UI/UX Student
User Experience design bootcamp with 700+ hours of hands-on course material, 1:1 expert mentor oversight, and in-depth portfolio projects.
Mastered skills:
- Information architecture
- Sketching and wireframing
- Prototyping and testing
- E-Commerce and browsing
- Persuasive and anticipatory design
- Gamification and behavior change
- Dashboards and data design
- Social media and messaging
- Product lifecycle
Project: Arts Raiser
Website application for artists to raise money, and other types of support, directly from fans.
Project: ‘Gallery Pal’ Design Sprint
Application that improves art exhibition experiences without distraction
Organizer
Communications team, responsible for creating the digital workbook:
2019
Digital Marketing Intern
Responsibilities included:
- Mailchimp email marketing
- Copywriting & content marketing
- Google search ads
- Wireframing, landing page design, and other UX design duties
- Social media management and content creation on LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter
- General account management and client communications
- Various front-end development duties using WordPress
- Various search engine optimization duties
“Art Talks” Program Director
A few days every month, I voluntarily led 30-minute discussions in the galleries with the museum’s security officers as a way to improve institutional inclusion. With a few officers in a gallery at a time, I started discussions by posing a question or giving a topic and letting the conversation lead where it may. We covered issues of race, class, age, and gender. While keeping the conversation constructive, I introduced new ideas, information, and theories that I have learned in my time as an art history major, museum studies intern, and visitors services employee. They shared their insights from working in the galleries observing the museum and it’s visitors everyday.
Purpose:
- Inclusion within the institution: allow the officers (Allied Secuirty contractors) to take part in art-related activities with museum staff
- Increase officers’ ability to answer visitors’ questions
- Activate the collection
- Recognize the officers’ artistic and intellectual interests
- Teach the officers topics in museum studies, art appreciation, and art interpretation
- Provide the officers with an accessible point-of-contact in the museum
“Rachel’s Art Talks was a great and very informative program that allowed security officers to learn about the art they protect. It also provided a way for officers to engage with visitors and enhance their experience.”
– Larry Jay Reason, Allied Security Supervisor
2018
Docent
Worked with artists and curators to design and lead tours for private groups and UPenn students.
Exhibitions:
- Cauleen Smith: Give It or Leave It
- Ree Morton: The Plant That Heals May Also Poison
- Suki Seokyeong Kang: Black Mat Oriole
- Tag: Proposals on Queer Play and the Ways Forward (Group Show)
- The Last Place They Thought Of (Group Show)
Finance Intern
Assisted the controller and executive administrator with managing accounts, compiling data reports, preparing for the annual audit, and executing accounts payable & payroll.
2017
Visitors Services Employee
Responsibilities:
- Worked directly with daily visitors in all 5 museum locations
- Represented and promoted the museum by maintaining a high quality of visitor experience
- Worked to meet revenue and membership sales goals
- Assisted with Special Events as needed
- Worked closely with other departments, especially Education, Group Sales, Special Events, and Security
B.A.: Art History
Thesis: Cracking Visual Codes: How Nick Cave’s ‘Soundsuits’ Critique Commodification in African-American Art
Minor: Interpretation Theory
Honors:
- Chester Community Fellowship – Received funding to run an arts summer camp in Chester, PA
Work-Study:
- Manager and videographer for the women’s soccer team
- Mentor/Tutor at the Blueprints program for high school students in Chester, PA
- Tour guide for the college Admissions Office and Athletics Program
Activities and Societies:
- Swarthmore’s African-American Student Society (S.A.S.S.)
- Orchestra Percussionist
- Classical Guitar Lessons
- Gamelan Semara Santi (Balinese percussion ensemble)
- Mariachi Band
- Club Soccer
Achievement Award from the Black Cultural Center at Swarthmore College
2016
Visiting Student
Courses:
- Hong Kong’s Economic Growth: a modernisation and internationalisation miracle
- Art, Politics, and Society in Modern China
- Cultural Policy: a complex marriage of business, politics, and culture
- Buddhist Art and Architecture
- Chinese Buddhism and Ritual
White Cube Gallery in Hong Kong
