Resume Snapshot

Deanna "Dee" Elder

Network engineering, infrastructure operations, campaign software, systems administration, and technical operations professional based in Aiken, South Carolina, with 20+ years of hands-on technology experience across enterprise networking, healthcare IT, small-business support, campaign operations, remote client support, and practical software projects.

Focus

Network engineering, infrastructure operations, campaign software, mobile app alpha delivery, privacy-preserving communications, IT/OT infrastructure, mission support, troubleshooting, documentation, contractor coordination, and user support.

Professional Summary

Infrastructure and network operations professional with direct experience in Cisco Catalyst, Cisco Nexus, Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto firewalls, large-scale Wi-Fi, VMware exposure, Windows systems, EMR training, HIPAA-aware support practices, contractor coordination, and customer-facing technical operations. Founder of Ladybug Software LLC, building Ladybug Campaigns as a mobile-first campaign operations platform with onboarding, admin workflows, calendars, media review, and encrypted messaging. Known for making complicated systems understandable, keeping work organized under pressure, and turning operational needs into reliable infrastructure, clear documentation, and practical user support.

Experience

Founder / Product & Infrastructure Lead, Ladybug Software LLC

June 2026-Present

Founded a South Carolina software company and built Ladybug Campaigns, an app-first operations platform for left-leaning political campaigns and organizing teams.

Designed and implemented campaign workspace features including supporter intake, approval queues, roles and permissions, calendars, RSVP flows, photo/video review, admin tools, and public campaign pages.

Led platform work across Cloudflare Workers, D1/R2, Durable Objects, Authentik/OIDC, TypeScript, React/React Native, iOS/TestFlight preparation, Android alpha setup, encrypted messaging, documentation, pricing, and operational runbooks.

Call Time Manager / Client Support Operations, New Way Forward Strategies

July 2025-December 2025

Onboarded and trained clients on PhoneBurner and campaign outreach workflows, translating unfamiliar software into usable step-by-step processes.

Coordinated schedules, call-time systems, contact records, documentation, and remote support across multiple clients and deadlines. Improved operational workflows by organizing data, clarifying process gaps, and supporting users through practical documentation and training.

Campaign Principal / Operations Lead, Democratic Candidate for South Carolina Senate District 24

May 2024-November 2024

Built and managed campaign infrastructure including website, communications systems, fundraising workflows, voter outreach systems, volunteer coordination, and public-facing operations.

Coordinated volunteers, vendors, supporters, records, events, communications, and deadline-sensitive processes in a high-visibility environment.

Network Engineer, University of South Carolina Aiken

September 2021-May 2024

Configured and deployed Cisco Catalyst IOS, Cisco Nexus NX-OS, and Cisco Meraki switches and routers; configured Palo Alto firewalls from initial setup through production operation; and supported secure, reliable campus service delivery.

Designed and implemented wireless infrastructure for student housing environments, supporting approximately 300 access points. Coordinated contractor work, project timing, documentation, change records, and operational follow-through.

Owner / Technician, Carolina Wren Computer Repair

January 2020-September 2021

Owned and operated an independent computer repair business serving residential clients across the Aiken area. Diagnosed hardware, software, connectivity, storage, and data access issues with clear customer communication and reliable follow-through.

Delivered digital archiving and data recovery services from hard drives, SSDs, VHS, slides, negatives, 8mm, Super8, and 16mm formats.

Computer Technician, Aiken Physicians Alliance / NCITE

June 2014-June 2017

Served as sole in-office and remote IT support provider for approximately 125 users across multiple healthcare facilities. Supported physicians, staff, and administrative users with hardware, software, account, connectivity, workflow, and EMR issues.

Delivered EMR training and maintained HIPAA-aware physical security practices, including document shredding, hard drive disposal, privacy screens, and physical network security.

Core Capabilities

Networking & Security

Cisco Catalyst IOS, Cisco Nexus NX-OS, Cisco Meraki, Palo Alto firewalls, LAN/WAN/WLAN, VPN, DNS, DHCP, secure network practices, and physical network security.

Product & Platform Engineering

Cloudflare Workers, D1/R2, Durable Objects, TypeScript, React/React Native, Authentik/OIDC, encrypted messaging workflows, web/mobile alpha delivery, and practical QA.

Operations & Support

Troubleshooting, escalation support, contractor/vendor coordination, EMR training, remote support, client onboarding, stakeholder communication, and project coordination.

Documentation & Campaign Operations

Runbooks, recovery notes, project dashboards, campaign intake flows, public-facing deadlines, volunteer coordination, pricing notes, legal planning notes, and AI-assisted workflow design.

Technical Areas

Portfolio & Technical Projects

Ladybug Campaigns

Founded and built an app-first campaign operations platform with onboarding, admin roles, calendars, media review, end-to-end encrypted messaging, iOS/Android alpha work, and public campaign pages.

Project Dashboard and workbench operations

Self-hosted portfolio and project dashboard work demonstrates infrastructure-minded documentation, web development, service recovery habits, and a habit of turning messy work into usable systems.

Scientific visualization and self-hosted systems

Built exploratory tools including H.A.N.K., isotope/scientific visualization projects, VICAR Viewer, Maxwell's Equations visualizations, and NASA-program relationship visualization work.

Education & Training

College of Charleston - B.A., International Business; Minor: German, 2005.

University of South Carolina Columbia - completed three years of undergraduate Electrical Engineering coursework including mathematics, physics, electronics, and engineering fundamentals.

Emerge South Carolina Signature Program, Class of 2025. LGBTQ+ Victory Fund Training.