Kevin Flaherty Kevin Flaherty
1915 44th Avenue
San Francisco, CA
November 06, 2013
Mobile: (415) 994-4637
ATTN: Jason Patton
Bicycle & Pedestrian Program Manager
RE: Bicycle Facility Planning Intern
City of Oakland, Public Works Agency
250 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Suite 4344, Oakland, CA, 94612
Dear Jason Patton,
I am interested in the Bicycle Facility Planning Internship. I think this position is well suited to my skill set because of my background in geography. I see it as a way to translate my research experience into a career since it complements my years of background in GIS and cycling. I am intrigued with urban society and find that riding a bike or walking from place to place is a great way to explore this fascination. I have the experience and education to qualify for this position because as a GIS analyst and cyclist I have a stake in it. While my resume provides the finer points of why I am so well prepared for this job, I will relate to you the basic elements of my experiences.
I am comfortable pursuing quantitative research and analysis because of my academic background. I hold a BA in Geography from Humboldt State University and have had plenty of training in GIS from SF State University. I am also currently enrolled at CSU Long Beach as a Master's student in geography, where I am studying goal achievement amongst community groups. I have interviewed many public employees as well as conducting an extensive community survey.
This research has provided me with gainful employment at a multitude of organizations, firms and agencies. While working as a graduate assistant at CSULB's Geography Department and a surveyor at Nelson/Nygaard, I often had to be comfortable working in the field without supervision. Additionally, while collecting data and assisting planners at SCANPH and SCAG, I regularly helped develop regional design and policy recommendations. I also documented field conditions, collected observational and GIS data and designed maps as well as other spatial resources for these and other organizations including Housing Long Beach and Long Beach Cyclists. Finally, I have put all of these skills to work in the private sector as a GIS Specialist at companies like Frontline and Recology.
My life's goal is to put theory into practice, which is why I have been a long time member of multiple housing, cycling and other civic groups. Specifically, I think that my best experiences have all related to cycling. For instance, I started a campus club called CSULB Cyclists. In the process of organizing meetings and communications for this group, I also got to know regional and state planners and advocates at a broad array of organizations including the League of American Bicyclists and the LA and SF Bicycle Coalitions. Most importantly, I have played a role as a League Certified Instructor at all of these and other organizations throughout California.
I have continually been amazed at how far a little bit of effort can go. For instance, I found that my efforts at the campus level were a success because of the way that the organizations I worked with focused on using available resources to accomplish real results. This approach allowed us to push local leadership to adopt some of the most notable designs and practices from across the US. It also provided us with the unprecedented chance of making surveys and collecting other, more qualitative, data to apply nationally recognized guidelines in the development of local facilities.
If I am hired for this position you will find that I am skilled at working on assignments which require attention to detail and multitasking. You will also find that I am well-suited to policy support, outreach and map development. Additionally, while I know you are looking for a candidate that is comfortable with meeting deadlines in an independent manner, I know you are also looking for a candidate that is able to work wll with others and is comfortable working on multiple projects simultaneously.
In closing I must stress that my more recent experiences have provided me with ample opportunity to hone my database management, graphic design and GIS skills. I have nearly ten years' experience using GIS software such as ESRI's ArcMap and I am skilled at software packages such as MS Word, Excel and Access as well as Adobe Illustrator and PhotoShop. Also, while I am happiest developing maps, reports and graphics for use in planning and education, I am also an accomplished interview and survey data collector with some international experience speaking Spanish and Mandarin.
Please give me a call or email me,
Kevin Flaherty
Master's Candidate
CSULB Geography
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