About me
I build automation and tools for small businesses and nonprofits — the behind-the-scenes stuff that lets a small team punch above its weight. Email intake, scheduling, reporting, websites: all the repetitive glue that quietly eats everyone's week. My job is to make it run itself.
I'm a Philosophy major and a Strategic Planner at ACC's Center for Government & Civic Service, where I shipped a production automation platform, run the civic programs, and make the visuals that carry them. That mix is the whole point — think carefully, then actually ship.
I'm based in Austin, Texas. I found this work through student government and environmental organizing — somebody had to fix the operational mess underneath it all, and it turned out I liked being that somebody.
What I do
Automation
Python, the Claude API, and workflow tools that take the busywork off small teams — intake, scheduling, reporting, follow-ups.
Web & Tools
Fast, hand-built websites and internal tools. Next.js, Cloudflare, no bloated templates — sites that load quick and do the job.
Civic & Program Strategy
Designing and running programs, events, and coalitions — from summits to turnout campaigns — for public-interest work.
Design
Flyers, brand, and the visuals that make a program look real. (See the Portfolio tab for the receipts.)
The Vault Guide
Build Your Own Obsidian Vault — Interview & Setup Guide
The cheat code to getting ahead on your second brain. Most people spend a semester fiddling with note apps and quit; this gets you a system that actually fits your life in about an hour.
Inside: a 17-question interview that designs the vault around how you think, the seven Obsidian skills that cover 90% of what you'll ever do, the exact battle-tested folder structure I run every day, the six plugins worth installing (and why skipping the rest matters) — plus the full walkthrough for wiring Claude AI into your vault so the maintenance that kills most systems becomes one prompt.
On the ground
Resume
Education
Austin Community College
Dual associate degrees — Associate of Arts in Philosophy and Associate of Science in Environmental Science — both expected by the end of Spring 2027. Coursework in Philosophy of the Constitution, Technical Writing, Honors Public Speaking, Honors Texas Government, Honors U.S. History, Ethics, Social Problems. Transferring to The University of Texas at Austin.
Experience
Strategic Planner, Community Relations & Environmental Affairs — ACC Center for Government & Civic Service
Architected and shipped the AI system that runs CGCS event intake end-to-end (Python, LangGraph, n8n, Claude API — every action human-approved). Founded the Central Texas Issues Series — climate, legal-access, and journalism summits. Own a high-volume event portfolio generating ~140% of the center's operating budget over 18 months: intake, contracts, compliance, invoicing, plus social media and the intern team.
Strategic Planner & Internship Program Developer — Green Workforce Collaborative
Built internship pathways linking students with sustainability employers; co-hosted the Central Texas Climate Summit at CGCS and built municipal, nonprofit, and private-sector partnerships for repeatable internship operations.
Founder & President — Sustainability Club / Environmental Committee, ACC
Founded ACC's first student-driven cleanup program; 14+ campus and city cleanups with "adopt-a-street" / "adopt-a-river" partnerships. Built the club website end-to-end (Next.js, TypeScript, Cloudflare), including the Riverbat Exchange student-sharing platform. Volunteer of the Year (2025).
District Rep & Communications Lead — Student Government Association, ACC
Led the election committee behind the highest student-election turnout in ACC history; grew membership from 6 to 37 through redesigned outreach. Served on student panels advocating funding for the $100M Highland Athletic Center, now under construction.
Campus Organizer (ACC Lead) — MOVE Texas
ACC campus lead for the 2024 election cycle; ran a nonpartisan civic-engagement strategy across all ACC campuses and built student/faculty/community coalitions.
Committee Member, Economic Resilience & Workforce — Open Government Partnership, City of Austin Delegation
Contribute to oversight of Austin's Climate Equity Plan; align workforce and economic-resilience recommendations with city officials and civil-society partners.
Certifications & Awards
Portfolio
Design & program work across civic, climate, and workforce orgs around Austin.
Blog
Writing on civic tech, automation for small orgs, and what I'm learning building it.
Austin Is Falling Behind on Its Climate Plan
Austin has 72 climate goals and isn't on pace to meet most of them. Through our work with the Open Government Partnership, a look at what's actually slipping — and what the city can still do this year.
Go Green: ACC's Sustainability Club
ACCENT's spring profile of the club — the community garden at Highland, campus cleanups, and the case for consistent action.
The Central Texas Climate Summit, Recapped
More than a hundred students, organizers, and policymakers spent a day at CGCS turning ideas into a regional plan for climate action.
More posts on the way — send me topics you want me to write up.
Let's talk
austinwells8225@gmail.comIf you're a small business or nonprofit that needs automation, a website, or the systems to run leaner — that's the work I do. Also open to roles, collaboration, a coffee, or a question. Tight budgets welcome.