About John-Paul Takats

Teaching Professor, Developer, and Technology Strategist dedicated to creating accessible, impactful digital solutions.

John-Paul Takats is an experienced IT professional with a career spanning roles as a Visiting Lecturer at RIT’s School of Information, an IT Strategist in Enrollment Management, Full Stack Developer, and Consultant. Currently, John-Paul is a Solutions Architect at Accelerate Media, where he blends creative and technical expertise to lead strategic initiatives and deliver measurable results for clients. His expertise centers on full-stack development, database management, digital accessibility, and marketing.

As an educator, John-Paul has taught a broad range of topics to graduate and undergraduate students (view all classes), including web development, programming, multimedia production, and database design. His studio-based teaching style emphasizes real-world application, collaboration, and accessibility. He regularly mentors student groups and has led workshops on building digital portfolios for RIT’s Women in Computing and the National Society of Black Engineers. He also serves as a mentor with the Next Chapter Project, helping formerly incarcerated individuals transition into careers in software engineering.

In industry, he has led every phase of the development lifecycle, specializing in client-focused, human-centered digital solutions. His work includes projects like The Loop, a social network for new students, and FeedMasher, an open-source content aggregator that powered the RIT homepage for over four years. Most recently, at Accelerate Media, he led the launch of the new Finger Lakes Wine Country website and several other digital initiatives across education and tourism sectors.

As the founder of Bantam Creative, a consulting firm focused on CRM, e-commerce, and social networking solutions

A dedicated open-source advocate, John-Paul has contributed to projects like Mozilla’s Popcorn.js and Joomla / WordPress plugins.

Outside the tech world, John-Paul is the web and technology coordinator for the Rochester Chapter of the American Statistical Association and enjoys skiing, hiking, and keeping backyard chickens. ::cluck::

My Stack

Technologies & Tools I’ve Worked With

(Disclaimer: While I’ve worked with many of these tools and technologies, I’m also a quick learner and love diving into new systems and concepts!)

Programming Languages
Frontend Frameworks
CSS Frameworks
  • Bootstrap, Bulma, Tailwind
CRM & CMS Platforms
Database Management Systems (DBMS)
Development Tools & Workflow
  • GitHub / GitLab
  • Webpack, Gulp, Babel
  • SASS
DevOps & System Administration
  • LAMP Stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP), Nginx
  • Docker (some Kubernetes experience for a personal project)
  • Amazon EC2, Digital Ocean Droplets
  • Google Workspace Administration
  • Firebase (we cover this too in IGM 330) for storage, Cloud Functions, Authentication
Analytics, Testing & SEO
  • CrazyEgg.com
  • Email on Acid
  • Yoast SEO
  • Pytest
Animation and Interactive Graphics
  • Canvas (html canvas)
  • SnapSVG
  • GSAP (GreenSock Animation Platform)
  • Camtasia (use this for many of my tutorial videos its great!)
  • Adobe Suite but thinking of transitioning to Affinity
Project Management & Communication Tools
  • ClickUp, Trello, Jira, SmartSheet
  • Slack
On Learning New Tech

There’s a comic about a candidate not getting hired because they only knew 19 of the 20 required skills. While I’ve worked with the tools above, I truly excel in adaptability. If there’s something new to learn, I’m ready to jump in and master it.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

To learn about my work in academia; teaching, mentoring, and service you may download my Curriculum Vitae. Also be sure to check out the classes taught / mentoring section of the Skills Explorer on the Homepage

Curriculum Vitae PDF Download

Resume

Although this website serves as a living / breathing resume, you can also download a PDF of my resume as well! Additionally, a web version is provided below.

Resume PDF Download

Education

Bachelors of Science in Information Technology

Rochester Institute of Technology
Concentration in Web Development. Minor in Psychology
Graduated May 2006

Masters of Science in Professional Studies

Rochester Institute of Technology
Concentrations in Human Computer Interaction & Marketing
Graduated Fall 2015

Industry & Teaching Experience

Solutions Architect & Full Stack Developer

Accelerate Media Inc.
May 2024 – Present

At Accelerate Media, I facilitate strategic initiatives by blending creative and technical expertise to deliver measurable results for clients in marketing, advertising, and development. I oversee full-stack development projects, leveraging tools like WordPress and REST APIs to create responsive, user-driven experiences. My unique combination of technical skills, leadership, and marketing knowledge allowed me to collaborate effectively with SEO professionals, bringing a holistic approach to all my projects. Recent Projects include: Geotherm Relaunch with Accelerate Media, and Ferris Agency Website with Accelerate Media

Projects
Mentor (volunteer)

Next Chapter Project
July 2024 – Present

Serving as a mentor to formerly incarcerated individuals as they embark upon a 12 week boot camp; Next Chapter Project helps to empower people with the skills, confidence, and support necessary to transition post-incarceration into meaningful, skilled careers in the tech industry.

More About My Mentoring
Visiting Professor

Rochester Institute of Technology – School of Information
August 2019 – May 2024

Classes Taught
Video Lectures
Service Projects
Adjunct Professor

Rochester Institute of Technology

  • School of Interactive Games & Media (August 2024 – Present)
    Teaching students an upper level course IGM 330 Rich Web Media & App Dev which explores the design and development of media-rich applications.  Topics include: typescript, node.js and react.
  • School of Information (January 2016 – May 2018)
    Taught several courses including Rapid Online Presence, Web and Mobile I, and many more classes you can find on the class section of the skills explorer.
Classes Taught
All Video Lectures
IT Strategist / Technical Lead

Rochester Institute of Technology – Enrollment Management
July 2013 – August 2019

As a technology leader within RIT’s Enrollment Management Division, John-Paul Takats drove the design, development, and implementation of key systems supporting Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions, and Financial Aid. I created FeedMasher, powering a significant portion of RIT’s homepage for over five years, and designed a social networking platform called The Loop for 15,000 users. I led teams building full-stack applications, spearheaded the adoption of CRM platforms (Oracle and Slate) for enrollment, helped lead a team of studens as we developed an Interactive Welcome Center, created the Interactive Street View Tour, and served on the RIT Web Advisory Committee, shaping web and infrastructure strategy campus-wide.

Projects
Full Stack Web Developer (Web Analyst)

Rochester Institute of Technology – Undergraduate Admissions Office
January 2008 – July 2013

Supported technology and web development in the Undergraduate Admissions Office as a means for assisting with student recruitment and selection efforts designed to satisfy Institute-established freshman and transfer enrollment goals. 

Founder & Creative Director

Bantam Creative
August 2013 – Present

Projects
Lead Developer

StreamTeam (provider of web development & streaming video services in Rochester NY) 
January 2006 – December 2007

John-Paul Takats joined a team of developers to provide leadership and coordination, helping guide a talented group of programmers toward more structured goals.

Notable Projects:

  • Rochester Underground website – Set up a content management system for a humor and local event website.  Contains over 10,000+ unique content items (videos, pictures), 4000+ registered users.
  • MMS Delivery Platform – A system powered by Microsoft ASP, built a custom CMS in classic ASP and Microsoft SQL.
Web Developer

Rochester Institute of Technology – Undergraduate Admissions Office
October 2005 – December 2007

Developed the Brick City Ambassador Homepage, a blogging platform for students and staff to share their RIT experiences, first using WordPress and later Joomla. John-Paul Takats also created a RESTful API for the platform and built an employee portal for staff to schedule recruitment events, create content, and process forms.

Professional & Community Service

  • American Statistical Association (ASA), Rochester Chapter
    Coordinator of Web Technology — 2020–Present
    Maintain and support chapter website, technical tools, and digital presence.
    Learn More on My ASA Project Page.
  • Rochester Area Colleges (RAC) & Upstate New York Counselor Tour
    Web Coordinator — 2014–2018
    Led web development and maintenance for annual counselor outreach program.

To Learn more about the Projects and things I have worked on please visit the skills explorer on the homepage!