Biography:

Jules Allen works with non-profit, government and corporate clients to integrate digital and social media relations strategies. He has advocated for user-centric solutions for the past twenty five years and brings an extensive background in technology-driven communications and software development.

Prior to working at Widmeyer, Allen was responsible for technical oversight of the DC Digital group at Porter Novelli. In this role, he developed social media solutions, information architecture methodology and user-centric projects for clients including the Internal Revenue Service, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Propane Council, American Heart Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Previously, Allen ran the Internet business for Best Software (now Sage Software). He drove efforts to develop pioneering digital relationship tools such as email marketing, free trial downloads, online lead gathering and interaction with sales representatives and peer to peer discussion tools. While commonplace now, these strategies were almost revolutionary in 1994 and many of the tools were custom built as nothing was commercially available.

Allen has been a columnist for the St. Petersburg Times' business section and wrote the popular Site Seeing column as well as numerous feature articles. He also worked as a consulting manager for Tampa-based Tribridge Consulting and Arthur Andersen.

He is a self-taught technology and usability practitioner and a founding member of the Plone Foundation, a popular open source software project that focuses on enterprise grade content management solutions. Allen volunteers his time and technical skills to a variety of projects including an underfunded aging care charity and an arts-related nonprofit organization.