Dan Smith

Durham, NC | Contact

Education

Master of Fine Arts, 2016 – Experimental and Documentary Arts
Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

Bachelor of Arts, 2001 – Political Science
(Concentrations: Civil-Military Relations, Military Force and Foreign Policy)
The George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Experience

Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University (2016-Present)

Suzanne Shanahan, Director | Durham, N.C. | Kenan.ethics.duke.edu

July 2016 – present: Student Programs Manager

• In addition to developing one o non-curricular programs, such as community focused discussions of how public monuments shape our communities and engagements between students and visiting practitioners across dozens of fields:

Director, Team Kenan

• Recruiting and leading a team of 20-25 undergraduate student hires from across the curriculum,
• Developed innovative methods to introduce their peers to key concepts in ethics while keeping things fun and interesting,
• Directed weekly production of blogs, interview questions, survey data, podcasts and infographics, as well as social media strategy,
• Oversaw publication of a semi-annual student-produced magazine on key ethical inquiry.

Director, Project Change

• Leading Duke’s smallest and only institutionally-backed signature pre-orientation program
• Programming a week-long intensive experience for 21 incoming students, selected from more than 220 applicants, to foster a deep connection with Durham through service and intellectual and personal challenge,
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with community partner non-pro ts and key civic and culturalleaders;

Director, Kenan Graduate Arts Fellow

• Selecting and guiding a rising 2nd year grad student to plan, complete and exhibit a project, utilizing pedagogical tools for artistic inquiry;

Director, Alternative Breaks Program

• Devising and programming to recruit a select group of undergraduate students in hands-on research during Duke’s Fall and Spring Breaks in a topical, timely and nimble fashion. Past programs include:
• March 2017 – Cuba to investigate a pivotal moment in history,
• October 2017 – Coastal NC to experience the intersection of development, culture and environmental concerns through the lens of the seafood industry and the
• March 2018 – Rio Grande Valley of Texas to explore multiple viewpoints regarding the U.S.-Mexico border, development and culture.

DUKE UNIVERSITY MFA IN EXPERIMENTAL AND DOCUMENTARY ARTS (2014-2016)

Tom Rankin, Chair | Durham, N.C. | MFAEDA.org

September 2015 – September 2016: Workshop Instructor, Duke University Arts Annex

Bill Fick, Visiting Assistant Professor, Art, Art History and Visual Studies

• Introduction to basic technical concepts (aperture/depth of eld, shutter speed/manipulating time, composition) for students with cameras ranging from iPhones to DSLRs (September);
• Basic concepts of studio lighting and color correction for digital printing (October),

January 2015 – January 2016: Project Manager / Teaching Assistant, Art of the MOOC

Pedro Lasch, Assistant Research Professor, Art, Art History and Visual Studies

• Support for development of lesson plan for a class of more than 4000 students, including quiz design;
• Primary research responsibilities, and
• Management, in support of Prof. Lasch, of cooperation between Duke CIT, MPS and other relevant units.

February – August 2015: Project Manager / Creative Time Summit, Venice Biennale

Pedro Lasch, Assistant Research Professor, Art, Art History and Visual Studies

• Provided organizational and logistical support for an installation involving 48 ags and two performances; – Primary documentation of installation and performances; supervision of supporting photographers and videographers.

January – May 2015: Teaching Assistant, Visual Studies Senior Capstone

William Seaman, Professor of Visual Studies

• Oversaw student exhibition, including logistical support and project management; – Taught three class sessions on various technical and conceptual topics.

Duke University Center for International Studies (2007-2014)

Rob Sikorski, Executive Director | Durham, N.C. | DUCIS.jhfc.duke.edu

July 2007 – August 2014: Assistant Director, Programs and Outreach

• Managing DUCIS’ communications and identity, on-Campus, within the surrounding community and amongst peer institutions, nationwide,
• Advising 24 Trinity College students, each year, from matriculation until declaration of majors,
• Lead coordination of DUCIS’s 3-year partnership with the Magnum Emergency Fund to bring emerging international documentary photographers to Duke and Durham, for exhibition and short-term academic residency,
• Coordination of DUCIS’ flagship University Seminar on Globalization, Governance and Development (formerly: Global Governance and Democracy), which brings 10-12 prominent professors and research- ers from around the world, to Duke, each year, for intimate discussions with students and faculty on a wide variety of subjects, as well as the annual John F. Richards Lecture on Comparative World History and the Seminar on Globalization & the Artist,
• Ongoing development of the University Seminar on Globalization, Science and Technology,
• Strategic planning of an iOS-based alternate reality game, based on the cultural, political, economic and scientific challenges faced during the 2003 SARS outbreak, aimed at high school students,
• Logistical planning and topic conceptualization for a one-day workshop on the role of ethics in documentary photography and filmmaking, in cooperation with the Kenan Institute for Ethics and the Center for Documentary Studies,
• Planned and executed an expert panel on the U.S. foreign policy implications of the Wikileaks document dump, within four business days, featuring a senior U.S. Ambassador, former managing editor of the Washington Post and a former special advisor to two Presidents, resulting in prominent media coverage and a large and diverse audience,
• Served as liason to three U.S. Department of State Diplomats in Residence,
• Oversight of three to four undergraduate student assistants, per semester,
• Top-to-bottom redesign of DUCIS’ visual identity, including new logo,
• Designed, programmed and re-organized a wholly-new DUCIS website, built from the ground-up in less than 30 calendar days (and subsequently featured by WordPress), resulting in a 20-fold increase in site traffic,
• Startup and management of DUCIS’ social networking presence, including Facebook and Twitter as outreach tools,
• Collected data for and prepared key portions of DUCIS’ semi-annual National Resource Center (Title VI) grant reports for the U.S. Department of Education,
• Coordinated the data collection and presentation of DUCIS’ successful proposal for the 2010-2014 Title VI National Resource Center grant cycle,
• Planned, assembled and coordinated a workshop for administrators of the top 20 U.S. International Studies programs, within 45 days of starting at Duke, and
• Managed workshops and institutes for K-14 and higher education faculty on: human rights, the role of interview research in political science and international reporting standards.

The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (1998-2006)

Tom Neumann, Executive Director | Washington, D.C. | (202) 667-3900 | www.JINSA.org

September 2001 – June 2006: Manager, Research and Communications

• Sole discretion in the recruiting, evaluating and hiring of paid research staffers and graphic designers, with direct management and editorial oversight in cooperation with the Communications Director
• Oversight of key IT, website and technology decisions, including management of a ground-up redesign of the JINSA website, constructed The Journal of International Security Affairs website (SecurityAffairs.org)
• Led and conducted time-critical research studies on key U.S. warfighting technologies, assets, emergent technologies and strategies and domestic law enforcement response to security issues
• Coordinated with the Embassy of Israel, the Department of Defense and a number of defense corporations for exclusive access to data from the IAI Arrow-2 Ballistic Missile Defense System tests at Pt. Mugu, Calif.
• Authored analysis for publication in The Journal of International Security Affairs
• Initiated, secured funding for, coordinated and led study programs to
  • USAF Air Warfare Center/RED FLAG 03-5 – Nellis AFB,
  • 82nd Airborne Division/U.S. Army Special Operations Command – Ft. Bragg, and
  • Farnborough International Airshow 2004 (including private meetings with high-level corporate leaders and U.S. and foreign government officials)
• Key role in the management of JINSA’s public image, marketing and communications with the media, governments, industry and other groups
• Managed author, design and publication of Profiles in Terrorism by Aaron Mannes, published by Rowman and Littlefield

September 1999 – August 2001: Chief Graphic Designer and Research Associate

Supervisor: Jim Colbert, Communications Director

• Led the recruitment, evaluation and hiring of paid research staffers and graphic design interns in cooperation with the Communications Director
• Coordinated funding, preparations for and on-the-ground management of key study programs, including
  • U.S. Special Operations Command – MacDill AFB,
  • U.S. Army Special Operations Command – Ft. Bragg, and
  • The 2001 Paris Airshow and U.S. Air Forces Europe
• Performed time-critical research and analysis of world events, including the October 2000 attack on the USS Cole (DDG-67).
• Directed critical IT and website activities, including key technology decisions
• Initiated and oversaw fundamental redesign of Security Affairs and JINSA.org website
• Oversaw design and layout, co-edited and managed the production of: Partnership In Transition: U.S- Israel Security Cooperation Beyond the Cold War, Natural Resources and National Security: Sources of Conflict and the U.S. Interest, Beyond the Arab Israeli Conflict: Middle East Threats to U.S. National Security
• Oversaw the establishment, design and production of the semi-annual Journal of International Security Affairs

September 1998 – September 1999: Chief Graphic Designer and Publications Manager

Supervisor: Jim Colbert, Communications Director

• Assisted in hiring and oversaw the work of the graphic design Intern
• Wrote editorial content for Security Affairs and website
• Created cover art and interior layout, co-edited and managed production of Countering the Missile Threat: International Military Strategies and A Palestinian State: Implications for International Security and American Policy

February – September 1998: Graphic Design Intern

Supervisor: Jim Colbert, Communications Director

• Created cover art and interior layout and co-edited Manpower and Technology: At the End of the 20th Century
• Created graphics and code for website articles
• Created graphics and laid-out Security Affairs quarterly newsletter

Sports Endeavors, Inc. (1997)

John Kenan, Principal Photographer | Hillsborough, N.C. | (919) 644-6800 | www.soccer.com

March 1997 – August 1997: Assistant Photographer

• Posed, lit and photographed retail product for Eurosport, Great Atlantic Lacrosse and Acme Soccer catalogs
• Digitized and processed product images for inclusion in catalogs
• Traveled to and photographed U.S. Youth Cup regional Soccer tournament games
• Designed full-page advertisements and assisted in cover photo selections

Publications

Smith, D.V. A Mess of Feesh. Bit & Grain. April 20, 2016.
Smith, D.V. Fundamentals. Clear Nude 2014; 1(III): 68-70.
Smith, D.V. On Process. Clear Nude 2014; 1(I): 18-26.
Smith, D. V. (2002), ‘A lonely impulse of delight:’ Frustrations of Modern Military Life. Journal of International Security Affairs, 3(1), 111-114.

Research Interests

Post-Cold War nuclear disarmament and proliferation

Cross-cultural perceptions of the Female Nude in art photography

Gender roles in ethical decision-making

The economic, technological, vocational and demographic shifts affecting Americans age 25-45 and how they impact continued relevance in the era of global culture

Photography Experience

Expertise in 35mm SLR, medium format and digital SLR photography with Canon, Nikon and Mamiya cameras

Eurosport – Cover – 1997.2

USA Soccer Youth Cup

NCAA/ACC sporting events

JINSA.org – Various Event Photography 1998-2006

Miss USA – Pageant entry photography for Miss Alaska USA 2001

Miss Alaska USA – Pageant entry photography for 2001 winner

2001 Paris Airshow

2004 Farnborough International Airshow

Rolex Grand-American Sports Car racing

Computer Skills

Apache, BIND, CSS, HTML, MySQL, PHP and WordPress

Proficient with Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop/Illustrator/InDesign), MS Office, Mac OS X (Client and Server)

Apple Developer Connection (Student 1994-2000; Select 2000-2003; Premiere 2003-2007)

Functional use of Adobe Acrobat Professional, Apple Aperture, Apple Final Cut Studio, Apple Keynote, Canto Cumulus, Extensis Portfolio, Windows XP/7 BSD and Linux

Limited use of JavaScript, MajorDomo, PERL, Postfix, SpamAssassin, Microsoft Access, Microsoft Powerpoint

Additional Skills

Familiarity with Information Warfare and Cyberterrorism strategy and tactics – instruction by experts from CIA, FBI and private sector experts

Broad personal knowledge of aerospace and defense industry projects and issues

Have command of working relationships with U.S. and international defense, intelligence and counterterrorism experts

Associations & Interests

George Washington University International Affairs Society alum

Competition-Licensed Road Racing with the National Automotive Sports Association (NASA)

BMW Car Club of America member

Tarheel Sports Car Club member

Italian and Chinese Cooking

U.S. Naval Institute member

Languages

English

French (conversant – 7 years of study)

Websites

ducis.jhfc.duke.edu

When I came aboard DUCIS, the Center’s website was woefully out-of-date, difficult to navigate, difficult to modify and lacking both style and substance. DUCIS had been contracting third-party designers for over two years, with little or no progress to show for it. In the course of 30 days, I built a completely new site, from the ground-up, with emphasis on ease of navigation with an attractive design that better reflected DUCIS’ wide range of interdisciplinary and international programs. In addition, a new WordPress-based back-end allowed every staff member, even those without any web experience, to quickly post items to the website, without relying on a single staffer to perform content updates.

www.JINSA.org

May 2000 – Unhappy with the overall site design produced by an outside designer, I was tasked with developing a clean, efficient and consistent site design and structure. In less than one month, I had finalized an approved design, site restructuring and page template and began working with the then-MIS. Within two months, overall, the new site design was live.

October 2005 – Finding the 5/2000 backend inefficient in managing a growing database, multimedia and image galleries and inflexibly customized to the tastes of the previous MIS, I was tasked with overseeing a ground-up restructuring and redesign. Reviewing various proposals in concert with my MIS, I selected a backend based on open-source products, to be integrated by a 3rd party contractor. I then oversaw the development of that back-end, and managed the in-house designers in creating a new overall look. At the time of my departure, JINSA was in the process of migrating the existing database to the new back-end. Unfortunately, internal issues and staff difficulties have prevented the new site from going live.

www.StephensWoods.org (offline)

In December 2006, I was approached by my neighbors about developing a community website for our neighborhood, after it was realized that the then-current collaboration tool (a Yahoo! Group) was not meeting the needs of the community.

I chose to integrate three open-source packages (a blog/CMS, a forum and a secure contact directory), as well as a photo-sharing system, for the most flexibility, ease of modification and robustness. All four packages were modified in both code and appearance. The site went live on February 1, 2007.

www.DVSmith.net

My personal site for code experimentation and information sharing. Largely without purpose, I am currently developing a structural and visual redesign in order to integrate a PHP/MySQL-based CMS and an integrated photo gallery (managed via Apple Aperture and Gallery2) to show off some of the 11,000+ photos I’ve taken.