Biography — 01

Mike Shank. Bridging the gap between pixels and logic.

My first computer came with a spiral bound book called "Introduction to BASIC". No classes, no teachers, no curriculum. Just a blank screen and a problem to solve. That's where most of this all started.

I grew up watching my father draw storyboards for TV commercials and my mother help Milwaukee businesses adopt software from companies like Macromedia and Adobe. Somewhere between his storyboards and her install discs, I got permanently wired for making things and making them work.

What I do

25 years. One through-line.

01 terminal

Technology Leadership

Full-stack development, systems architecture, API integration, and cross-functional technical direction. I write code and lead teams that write code.

02 architecture

Creative Direction

Brand identity, UX systems, art direction, motion graphics. A decade of directing creative teams — and stepping in personally when the problem requires it.

03 monitoring

Strategic Problem Solving

I don't believe in impossible. Every complex problem is a Rubik's cube — the right answer is always in there. You just have to understand the system and develop a plan.

How I work

"I don't believe in impossible. I find a way."

What I'm looking for

I'm looking for a VP or Director-level role where I can lead a real cross-functional team, solve problems worth solving, and work at the right altitude for the first time.

SPEC_01
VP Creative Technology roles

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SPEC_02
Head of Digital Products

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SPEC_03
Director of Digital Experience

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SPEC_04
Chief Digital Officer (mid-size companies)

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The Resume

Summary

A strategic technology and user experience leader with 20+ years of experience architecting enterprise-level digital solutions across healthcare, finance, higher education, tourism, and the public sector. Recent work has focused on AI-powered workflows, internal knowledge systems, automation pipelines, and AI-assisted development processes that improve efficiency, scalability, and decision-making across teams.

Professional Experience

2002 to Present

October 2013 – Present

Zizzo Group

VP, Technology & User Experience

Milwaukee, WI

Key clients: Wisconsin Center District, Boys & Girls Clubs, Door County Visitors Bureau, Mattel

+ Direct a cross-functional department of designers, developers, and UX strategists, overseeing an annual digital portfolio valued at $3 million.
+ Serve as the agency's lead technical and UX strategist for key accounts, guiding senior stakeholders from discovery through deployment to align technical delivery with business goals.
+ Architect and lead the execution of full-stack development projects, enterprise system integrations, and cloud infrastructure management.
+ Designed and implemented AI-powered workflows and internal tools to streamline UX, development, and QA processes, reducing production timelines and improving consistency across projects.
+ Led the development of internal AI tools and knowledge systems, including structured data pipelines, prompt frameworks, and local/private AI exploration for proposal generation, estimation, and content reuse.

October 2010 – September 2013

Boelter + Lincoln

Interactive Manager / Web Designer

Milwaukee, WI

Key clients: Wisconsin Dells VCB, Lakefront Brewery, Mueller Sports Medicine

+ Directed the creative and technical production for major agency accounts, leading projects from interface design and UX strategy through final implementation.
+ Established and managed the agency's UX and interface design process, creating wireframes and prototypes that translated business goals into intuitive user experiences.
+ Redesigned Mueller Sports Medicine's website with user-centric search by ailment and body part, increasing customer engagement fivefold.
+ Owned analytics and reporting for client websites, using performance data to guide design improvements and marketing strategy.

2008 – 2010

Creative Spurts

Co-Founder & Creative Director

Milwaukee, WI

+ Co-founded a boutique creative studio delivering digital design and web development services to small and mid-sized businesses.
+ Led all aspects of the design and development process, from client pitch and concepting through project delivery.
+ Managed client relationships, project scoping, and budgeting while collaborating directly on sales strategy and business operations.
+ Built a portfolio of clients before dissolving the partnership due to the economic impact of the 2008 recession.

May 2002 – September 2008

Milwaukee World Festival

Graphic Designer / Art Director

Milwaukee, WI

+ Collaborated with IT and marketing teams to design and execute large-scale interactive campaigns and on-site digital media for Summerfest.
+ Served as a key designer for annual seasonal campaigns, producing a high volume of print, digital, and social media assets.
+ Designed and produced 2D and 3D animations for on-site video displays and promotional materials.

Technical Skills

Tools & Systems

Design & UX Tools

Figma · Adobe Creative Cloud

Development

HTML · CSS · JavaScript · PHP · WordPress

Systems & Frameworks

Design Systems including Material, Carbon, and Fluent · Accessibility and inclusive design practices

AI & Automation

Prompt Engineering with OpenAI and Google AI Studio · AI-assisted development workflows with Codex and Copilot · Workflow automation and tooling design · Structured data systems and JSON-based pipelines · Exploration of local/private AI and knowledge graph concepts