About Dawn
Dawn Shears is a Web and Marketing Communications professional with over 25 years web development and over 38 years of cumulative, (web and print) design experience. She also has experience customizing web-based software written in many coding languages (php, python, css, pearl, java, asp, coldfusion, to name a few) and currently focuses on customizing and integrating all sorts of software with WordPress websites.
She served the direct selling sector for 6 years as a web consultant, including holding a position (and later as a consultant) as the marketing communications manager for Jenkon, a leading direct selling software provider. She has designed and developed web sites, customized the GUI and branded web-based software for direct selling clients and partners in the US, Canada and Australia, including, Essential Bodywear, Avon Canada, EagleCap Consulting, Sylvina Consulting, Life’s Building Blocks, At Home America, Private Quarters and Intimo.
Dawn has developed websites that support the financial sector. She has designed and developed large, corporate websites for banks and credit unions and customized the design of clients’ web-based banking software. As a web developer for Fiserv Summit in Corvallis, Oregon, she was responsible for regular changes and modifications on over 60 live, client sites; over 30 of which she personally created.
Her web experience has also come from years of freelance work for corporate clients as well as from the academic sector. She provided web services, technical training and workshops for Southern Illinois University Instructional Support Services.
Dawn began her design career in the 1980s in the advertising and publishing industries and has provided graphic design for many high profile, national clients (HBJ, San Diego Zoo, On-TV, Z-Channel, Women’s World, Price Waterhouse Cooper, PSA airlines) as well as serving as creative director for three magazines (California Grower, Gold Prospector, Pick & Shovel.) She also designed book covers & catalogues and provided outdoor commercial photography for Craftsman Book Company (Carlesbad, CA) as freelance consultant.
Dawn’s current consulting business, RedSpiralHand (formerly Dawn Shears Consulting), established in 2008, is focused on providing high quality, affordable web design, development, SEO & marketing to businesses of all sizes and sectors, especially for owners & managers of vacation rental properties in the U.S. and abroad.
Other mentionable employment/consulting work:
2009/present Consultant
Web development, SEO & design focused on WordPress-based solutions. Since 2012 she has focused primarily on providing web solutions & marketing/seo/blogging strategies for vacation rental businesses.
2006/9 Consultant
Web development, SEO, web design, logo and print design, writing & Flash Animation for corporate-level direct selling clients.
Clients included: Life’s Building Blocks, L’BRI & Essential Bodywear
2005/6 PicFix, Beaverton, OR
Managed a software team for a startup that was building an online photo editing tool.
Handled wireframes, writing, testing, design & GUI/web interface.
2000/2005 Jenkon, Inc, Vancouver, WA
Marketing Communications Manager & (later) Consultant for a software company that served the direct selling sector (multi level marketing & party plan companies on the corporate level).
Web & Graphic design, SEO, SEM, marketing strategy & analytics, Flash Animation, software GUI design.
1999/2000 Fiserv Summit & eCom Services, Corvallis, OR
Web developer/designer for a software company that served banks and credit unions in the financial sector.
1998/99 HIV Alliance, Eugene, OR
Public Relations, Marketing Communications & Event Planning.
1996/1998 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Web, Desktop Publishing and Software Expert for Morris Library Instructional Support Services providing materials and instruction for university staff and professors. Also assisted in the early efforts to digitize library assets using OCR (optical character recognition).
1996/1998 Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
Desktop publishing for Dept. of Engineering External Affairs and Minority Affairs Depts.
Office Manager for Black American Studies Department.
1990/1991 Graphic Design Consultant
Clients included River Runner Magazine, California Grower Magazine and Gold Prospector Magazine as well as catalogs & book covers for Craftsman Book Company. Served as a temporary editor and Art director for Gold Prospector Magazine and designed and launched a new publication (Pick & Shovel) for them.
1989 Fallbrook Printing
Art Director (Directed a department of 4 artists)
Specialized in labels and marketing materials for Temecula Valley Vineyards. Some of the clients were: Maurice Caŕrie, Callaway, Baily Vineyard & Hart Winery.
1984/9 Paige Hardy & Associates, San Diego, CA
Graphic Designer, Darkroom Mgr., Typesetting & Desktop Publishing
(Was one of the first technicians in the world to learn to operate Xenotron Composer which was an early desktop publishing solution.)
1982/3 General Atomic, Torrey Pines, CA
Technical Illustrator & Darkroom Technician
1978/9 Modern Printing & Mailing, San Diego, CA
Graphic Designer
1976/8 Modern Printing & Mailing, San Diego, CA
Print/Bindery & Darkroom Technician
(Was the first woman at this establishment to run their large-scale bindery equipment including guillotine cutters, folders, etc.)
Dawn holds a M.S. (Magna Cum Laude) in Public Health (focus on epidemiology & research) from Southern Illinois University @ Carbondale. She also holds a B.S. in Public Health (university honor’s program) and an A.S. in Human Biology.
Born and raised in San Diego, California she currently works and lives on the south coast of Oregon. When she’s not working behind a computer you can find her hiking, gardening, creating hand-crafted herbal remedies, creating art and organizing community events.