The Philly ‘burbs WordPress Meetup is a local community of WordPress designers, developers, users, and more. The folks listed below work to organize its monthly gatherings.
Ashley Pfeil
I’ve been a professional Web Developer since 2014. I didn’t touch a line of code until I was in my mid-twenties but once I did, I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want to stop. I learned web development in Texas and worked for a small agency in Houston for 5 years before moving back home to Philly in 2019. Currently I’m the dev team lead at a small agency in the local area. I live in the Fox Chase neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Although not a self-taught developer, I did teach myself WordPress. One of the things I like about WordPress is that it is as simple or as complex as you need it to be. I’m genuinely excited about the path that WordPress is taking. Another thing that I like about WordPress is the welcoming community. I enjoy going to WordCamps and meetups. When I was approached about helping out with this group, I was eager to jump at the chance because in a way it’s one way I can give back to the community that has given me so much.
My skill set includes HTML, CSS, React, Gatsby, enough PHP to get by, and of course WordPress. I can be reached on our group’s Slack channel or on Twitter @pfeilal23.
Matt Lewis
I have been dabbling in website creation since the early 2000’s while still in high school. I remember building sites for a group I was involved with on my own and also trying to make a family webpage were we can share family news. I started using dreamweaver and basic html. Then css came along and things got more complicated. In college I was introduced to the blog platform MoveableType and started using CMS managers then. I switched to Mambo to design sites; which then became Joomla. I then discovered and really liked WordPress and have been using it for over ten years. In 2015 I started my own tech support and consulting company, Green Street Technology Solutions, and still provide basic website design to small businesses.
I enjoy the open source community that WordPress has and the helping nature of both the developers and other community members.
Connect with Matt on Twitter (@mlewsis47) and on LinkedIn.
Liam Dempsey
I began working as a graphic designer, copywriter, and marketing consultant in 2000. I started using WordPress in 2007 when I launched my own website. In 2014 or so, I switched to focus on WordPress as the only CMS for new website builds.
In 2009 I moved to the Philly area from the UK. In 2012, I co-founded the Philly ‘burbs WordPress Meeup as a complement to the Philadelphia WordPress Meetup. I have been involved in organizing it ever since. In years past, I helped put together and run WordCamps in Philadelphia.
My company, LBDesign, focuses on marketing and design solutions for businesses and non-profits.
I’m active in our group’s Slack channel, on Twitter at @liamdempsey and on Mastodon at @liamdempsey@mstdn.social.