As the Technical Project Manager for Adfero Group, I led the development of the "Study in the States" website for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). This project represented DHS's first foray into creating a comprehensive commercial-quality public website, a significant departure from Adfero's typical political site portfolio.
Project Overview
Study in the States serves as the official U.S. government resource for international students seeking to study in the United States. The website provides essential information about the student visa process, academic requirements, and guidance for maintaining legal status while studying in America. It streamlines what was previously a fragmented information landscape across multiple agencies into a single, user-friendly resource.
Team Building & Stakeholder Management
I helped interview and hire the development team, assembling talent specifically suited to the unique challenges of a government website with commercial-grade user experience requirements. Our team regularly traveled from DC to Crystal City for stakeholder meetings, including sessions with then-DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.
One of my greatest challenges was navigating the complex interagency dynamics. While DHS owned the website, critical information and approval needed to come from the Department of State and Department of Education, which are deeply involved in student visa programs. Applying PMBOK principles, I managed these “secondary stakeholders” with care, ensuring each department felt their priorities were respected while maintaining project momentum. This required exceptional interpersonal and diplomatic skills to prevent interagency friction from derailing our timeline.
Technical Solution & Documentation
We implemented a fully customized WordPress site that balanced government requirements with user experience best practices. This project allowed me to leverage my Systems Engineering and Project Management training from my graduate certificate program at George Washington University.
I developed comprehensive documentation including:
- Product Requirements Documents (PRDs)
- Functional Requirements Specifications
- Technical Architecture Documentation
- User Acceptance Testing Protocols
- Training Materials for Federal Staff
- Compliance Documentation (508, Security, Privacy)
Feature Development & Accessibility
The website required extensive specialized features:
- Multi-language translation capabilities
- Full Section 508 compliance for accessibility
- Screen reader optimization
- Government-mandated color schemes and branding
- A custom-built school search database (replacing a static PDF)
- User-friendly CMS interface for government personnel with limited technical experience
- Interactive mapping features for visualizing educational institutions
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