Overview

Simplify! That's been a passion of mine for decades — to digest the complex and present it in a way that the audience can easily and enjoyably grasp. Through the years the audiences I've served have been:

  • new media savvy emerging adults
  • users of various online banking applications
  • people interacting over the phone with a voice application to make flight arrangements
  • developers using our in-house tool to facilitate their application development
  • tradeshow attendees visiting our booth
  • potential clients clicking through our corporate website
  • C-Level executives popping in an interactive CD-ROM
  • a classroom of international students learning English
  • indigenous teenage students deep in the mountainous jungles of Mexico

And in each case, I've enjoyed treating them with the respect they deserve, making it a snap to accomplish the goals before them, while at the same time satisfying the requirements of the client.

It's my intention that this resume and website give you a sense of who I am, and how I can become a contributing member of your team. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me via email.

You can download a PDF version of my resume.

Purpose

To facilitate effective communication and build engaged community through the incisive use of new media.

Key Technical Skills

  • Five years of experience overseeing the editorial process and direction for Focus on the Family's online magazine for young adults, including managing author relationships, drawing up author contracts and legal documents, editing articles consistent with AP style, writing hundreds of blog posts and e-newsletters, creating contests and surveys, and entering articles into our content management system
  • Coordinated more than 25 regular contributing authors and a variety of one-off authors to produce over 1,000 articles and 4,000 blog posts over the course of five years
  • Managed a $100,000 annual editorial budget
  • Led a team of website developers, and wrote code as necessary to bring new functionality to a variety of websites
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including conversational fluency in Spanish; excellent understanding of APA and AP styles; accurately type 75 WPM
  • Experience interacting with clients throughout the States and overseas to identify business and application requirements

Key Editorial Skills

  • 16+ years designing, constructing and maintaining a variety of brand-reinforcing websites and social networks, working both independently and with teams of developers
  • Proficient with new media technologies (CSS-P/CSS, XML, RSS, SEO, ColdFusion, ASP, JSP, HTML, embedded video and audio, blogs, social networks, e-commerce, content management systems, client-side and server-side scripting, TypePad, WordPress, Joomla, GeekLog, Google Analytics, AdSense, AdWords, WebTrends, Urchin, SilverPOP, Ning, Facebook, YouTube, MySpace, Virb, FaceBook, Twitter, ShoutLife, Tangle, Amazon, SurveyMonkey, etc.)
  • Proficient with print and web publication (Photoshop, BBEdit, Word, Acrobat, Quark, InDesign, Illustrator, PageMaker, Freehand, PowerPoint, Flash, Fetch, CVS, etc.)
  • Proficient with video production (Final Cut Pro, iDVD, DVD Studio Pro, Premiere, Camtasia screencam application, QuickTime, HandBrake)
  • Proficient studio engineer and producer (music, voiceover work, Protools, Soundtrack, Audacity)
  • Proficient with both Macintosh and Windows operating systems

Employment History

Teen Challenge International, USA (May 2011-present); Ozark, Mo. As IT Manager at the national Teen Challenge office, I am responsible for maintaining the office systems and helping develop the ministry's variety of websites.

Crossway Books (October 2010-March 2011); Wheaton, Ill. As Digital Marketing Manager, I was responsible for developing and executing marketing plans for Crossway's digital resources, including eBooks and mobile apps. I was also tasked with leading Crossway's digital product development, including book applications, web content, enhanced digital books and subscription services. I lost my job because of a corporate restructuring and consequential reduction in force.

Focus on the Family (August 2005-September 2010); Colorado Springs, Colo. As editor of Boundless.org and BoundlessLine.org, I was responsible for both the editorial and technical side of the online magazine and blog. This includes contracting with dozens of existing and new authors to write articles and blog posts adhering to Boundless style and messaging, managing a $100,000 annual budget, editing according to AP style, creating all the artwork (view some samples of images that accompanied daily articles), marking up text with HTML and any relevant scripting, creating contests and surveys, entering articles into our database/CMS, writing and coding a weekly e-newsletter to 30,000 subscribers, writing 600 blog posts, enhancing our sites with new functionality and design, building a mobile-friendly version of the site, facilitating SEO, evaluating visitor statistics, and engaging constituents through social media and personal e-mail. For a walk-through of some of the technical enhancements I've brought to Boundless, visit the Technical Proficiencies page. I lost my job because of a reduction in force that resulted from a ministry-wide series of budget cuts.

Fluency/Netdecisions (January 2000-October 2004); Chesapeake, Va. Through two company restructurings, my role varied from Art Director to Lead User Interface (UI) Developer to Voice User Interface (VUI) Developer. Responsibilities included managing corporate internet and intranet websites, defining corporate and product branding (including logos and style guide), assisting with requirements gathering and rapid UI prototyping, designing much of the UI for the primary tool our developers used to create voice applications, creating several marketing videos, designing product brochures, and creating multi-platform CD-ROMs for tradeshows. I lost my job because of a corporate restructuring and consequential reduction in force.

Christian Broadcasting Network (1997-2000); Virginia Beach, Va. As an internet and new media front-end developer, I designed and maintained websites (including CBN.com) and multimedia presentations, edited video and audio, and designed miscellaneous print publications (ads, flyers, forms, etc.).

Business International Networks (1996-1997); Virginia Beach, Va. As manager of the Graphical User Interface department, I coordinated the design and development of a technologically progressive international business-related website. Responsibilities included hiring and supervising three employees.

Regent Times (1994-1997); Regent University; Virginia Beach, Va. As alumnus adviser and editor of the graduate school's student newspaper, I performed copy editing and all photo editing, design, and page layout.

Virginia Beach Adult Learning Center (1995); Virginia Beach, Va. I completed a semester-long internship teaching English as a Second Language.

Operación Bendición (1993); Bogotá, Colombia. As a volunteer desktop publishing consultant, for seven weeks I assisted the editors of the monthly Spanish-language periodical Desafío better utilize their software and understand contemporary layout design and communication theories.

Education

Master's degree in International Communication, 3.98 GPA
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

Master's degree in Education, emphasis in English as a Second Language, 4.0 GPA
Regent University, Virginia Beach, VA

Bachelor's degree in English, minor in Journalism
Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI

Bachelor's degree in Spanish
Northern Michigan University, Marquette, MI

References

References are available here, as well as upon request.