Labs Staff
Chris Tonjes
IT Director/CIO
I have had a richly peripatetic career taking me from upstate New York, to Little Rock, Arkansas, then Tokyo, Japan, and finally Washington, DC. I have worked with almost every type of enterprise technology used for the past 20 years, often acting as an implementation analyst or project manager. Even after 20 years in IT, I am still fascinated by technology and love trying new programs and experimenting with gadgets, particularly wireless and mobile ones. In my spare time I pursue a number of interests. I love movies and watch them obsessively. My home is also a way station for unwanted and stray dogs while they wait to be adopted.
Ian Cruz
Webmaster
Ian has nearly 20 years of computer experience and is proficient with large amount of programming languages, databases and development tools. In his spare time he ski races and plays golf.
Elizabeth Jackson
Email and Domain Accounts, Web Content Management, Tier 3 tech
I received a B.S. in Medical Technology from Texas Christian University. I worked in Blood Bank Transfusion Services. I got bored. Then I obtained certifications in Microsoft (MCP) and Cisco (CCNA). I worked for Dallas Public Library and St. Paul Medical Center.
I like to crochet and knit and taking things apart and see how they work. I love to play around on the Apple computer in Final Cut and iMovie. I just completed my multimedia software class at a Jr. College. I volunteer at my church in technical directing on the NewTek Tri-Caster Pro/Studio, running the recording sound board, operating the cameras, and running our new main sound board, the Yamaha Digital – (48) channel board. I am always trying to learn new things. I love music, puzzles, and art, but mainly art.
Bill McClendon
Independent DCPL Consultant and Systems Architect
Bill is a former Sirsi employee and has 12 years of Library system S/W experience and 26 years of commercial software experience in various capacities, including SaaS, RDBMS’s, product management, data conversion, and data interchange. During his tenure at Sirsi, he managed the Data Services, Integration Services, Implementation Services, Sirsi.net (SaaS), and IT departments.
Prior to Sirsi, Bill worked for Compaq Computer in Houston as a Project Manager where he managed 8 new desktop and laptop platform releases in a 300M+ line of business.
Prior to Compaq, Bill worked at Intergraph Corporation in commercial and Federal Systems S/W for GIS, Geospatial, Mapping, Digital Terrain Modeling, Civil Engineering, Document Management, Scanning, Oil and Gas, Process and Plant, and 3D Visualization (rendering) in a variety of development, consulting, project management, and management capacities.
Brian Farmer
Independent Coding Guru
Before joining the DCPL Brian has spent the last 21 years developing numerous applications for all sorts of platforms. He has spent most of his time at startups, usually as a founding employee. He has worked on three different career websites. He was a founding employee of Careerbuilder.com and was their lead software architect for over 6 years. Before that he helped found Compass Point Software and designed their product “application::ctor”, a Microsoft Windows/C++ rapid application development tool and class library. Before that Brian worked for the University of Maryland’s Application Software Development Group developing education software along side the university’s professors. He experience goes all the way back to Windows 1.13.
Gilbert Luwaile
Systems Administrator / Pharos Administrator
Gilbert has been involved with technology from the days of Windows 3.1 in his High School days and has evolved with it to Enterprise applications of today. He currently supports a number of DCPL Enterprise systems including, Pharos, Footprints and general Windows server administration. He also helps out with formulating the Service Design of the DCPL IT structure.
When he’s not working, he enjoys exploring new technologies and modding gadgets to extend their functions as unintended by the manufacturers. He can also be found on Xbox Live and on the PlayStation network playing COD4 & 5, Resistance2, Gears of War and other times just rocking out on Rock Band 2. He however, declined to give his username.
Matt Heiner
Webmaster/Developers
Matt has been working with graphic design and the internet since high school, and is very addicted to it. Previously, he worked at a web firm managing clients such as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation, Farm Aid, the University of Richmond, and the Susan B. Anthony List. He comes to DCPL with 5 years of design and development experience, ranging from Graphic Design to Video Production, to UI/UX design, to SEO/SEM. His passion is improving the speed to information, and the interactivity of the internet through better coding and design techniques.
In his free time, Matt enjoys snowboarding, working on his car, and playing basketball. An avid PC gamer, he can be found online playing COD4, COD5, and other miscellaneous PC games. Although you probably will not find him on COD4, as he is masterful with the M21, R700, & M249.
Aaron Schmidt
DCPL Digital Initiatives Librarian
Aaron has been a library circulation clerk, reference/tech librarian, and library director. Shortly after completing his MLIS, Schmidt saw the potential of applying new media technologies to libraries and launched successful programs at his suburban Chicago public library. Helping the library connect to its community through things instant messaging, weblogs and social software lead to Aaron publishing articles in Library Journal, School Library Journal, Library High Tech News, Online, and others. He has presented on the topic of library technology and usability throughout the United States, and in Canada, the UK, the Netherlands and Spain. He writes a library technology and usability weblog called walking paper.

