ABOUT ME

Richard Uy

Senior full-stack developer & digital strategist New York, NY

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I'm a Filipino-Chinese-American developer and digital strategist with 15+ years of experience building web platforms that actually work for the people using them. My work sits at the intersection of technical execution and strategic thinking.

For the past several years, I've focused on public-sector digital services as a developer and consultant for the NYC Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, where I've led 7 major website launches and the 2025 platform-wide refresh coordinating across DOC, DDC, NYPD, and the Mayor's Office.

Outside government, I've spent over a decade helping startups and small businesses through freelance consulting, earning Top Rated Plus on Upwork with a 4.99 average rating.

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Values & community

I build for the communities I belong to

Before "community-driven development" was a buzzword, I was doing it: creating platforms for the people and causes I care about.

LGBTQIA+ community · 2010–2015

Gay-Nerds.com

Founded an LGBTQIA+ geek culture community. Built the forum, e-zine, online shop, and brand. Peaked at 1.1M annual page views. Featured by Kotaku, Queerty, and GeeksOut.

AAPI advocacy · 2021

Stop Asian Hate Crime

Built a resource site during the AAPI hate crime surge. Compiled charities and foundations. Designed logo, brand, and WordPress site. Because it needed to exist.

Volunteer tech leadership · 2024–present

Out in Tech · Digital Corps

Team lead. Lead cross-functional volunteer teams building nonprofit WordPress sites from concept to launch within 72 hours. Mentor teammates, scope tasks, support launch, and handoff sites.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS · 2025–present

The Rustin Fund

Board Member, Developer & Web Designer. A direct-giving platform that allows U.S. donors to make simple, tax-deductible donations to vetted LGBTQIA+ organizations in the countries that need it most.

Technical Skills

Web platform development

HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+), PHP, SQL, Python

CMS & platforms

WordPress (custom themes, plugins, ACF), Shopify, Webflow, WooCommerce

Cloud & hosting

AWS, Google Cloud, DigitalOcean, WP Engine, Cloudflare, Pantheon

Analytics

GA4, GTM, Search Console, SEMrush, A/B testing

Design & UX

Figma, Adobe Creative Suite, design systems, prototyping

Core strengths

Accessibility (WCAG 2.x), CRO, SEO, public-sector workflows, stakeholder management

AI tooling

Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, AI-assisted image processing, AI-augmented content strategy & development workflows

Automations

Zapier, webhooks, Meta Ads automated campaigns, Google Ads automation, Mailchimp & HubSpot automated workflows, WP-Cron

Google UX Design
Google Data Analytics
Google Digital Marketing & E-commerce
Google IT Automation with Python
Google Ads Search Certification

Top Rated on Upwork

Rated 5 out of 5
"Richard is hands down one of the best there is. Absolutely exceeded my expectations and was an absolute pleasure to work with. I highly recommend anyone reading this, stop here, this is the one."
Rated 5 out of 5
"Richard is a pleasure to work with! Incredibly helpful, honest and straightfoward about what needs to be done and how it can be achieved. Looking forward to continue working together!"
Rated 5 out of 5
"I'm a repeat client - great to work with and great personality. Seems there isn't anything he doesn't know or can't figure out. Really enjoy working with Richard."
Rated 5 out of 5
"Richard is such an attentive, highly skilled website designer to work with! He really listened to the vision I had for my project, and was really able to pinpoint an effective theme for my website!
Rated 5 out of 5
"I'm extremely satisfied with the work that Richard has done. He went above and beyond what I paid him for at no additional cost. I would recommend him without hesitation."
Rated 5 out of 5
"Richard is a very easy person to work with. He care about the work he does and making sure it is completed to a high standard"
Rated 5 out of 5
"Richard did an amazing job in designing and implementing a new look for my old website. It came out way better than I even thought was possible. Very professional work done quickly. Thanks!"
Read Testimonials on Upwork
Fun Stuff

What makes me tick

Likes
  • Giving websites makeovers
  • That moment when you close 50 tabs after solving a problem
  • Being pedantic about web standards
  • Kpop, 90’s R&B, Punk Pop, Chiptunes, LoFi
  • Learning random skills like origami or culinary science
  • Hyperspecific niches and aesthetics like Mallsoft & Cottagecore
  • Competition reality TV shows and/or anything with a drag queen in it
Dislikes
  • Closeups of someone using a mandoline during food reality tv shows
  • It’s not X — That’s Y
  • Websites that aren’t responsive
  • Logo images in non vector format
  • White backgrounds in code editors
  • Tiktoks that are white near the bottom
  • Horror movie wikipedia entries that don’t have full plot synopses
  • “Asian” Flavors
  • The moment of silence right after you say something and you’re not sure if you said something insightful or super dumb