Experienced in Creating Connections
Reap the benefits of my unique combination of experience, education and communications skills.
Reap the benefits of my unique combination of experience, education and communications skills.
Throughout my roles as a student, a secretary, a department manager, an adjunct professor, a Web designer and content developer, a virtual office manager and a volunteer, one theme remains constant. I've always been a writer or an editor, synthesizing ideas and communicating information.
Most times writing was intrinsic to the role. As a student, I was required to prepare papers and as a secretary, I needed to make the boss look good. As a department manager in charge of administrative services, I had to prepare bid specifications to get the products I needed.
Other times the writing was a value-added activity. To be a good professor, I wanted to review the course materials and organize them to fit my way of presenting information and to meet the goals of the course. As a department manager, a well-done presentation could make the difference in whether or not a project was approved.
And, of course, sometimes writing was the role, as in developing web content and writing a family history. I've covered subjects from flowers and family history to just-in-time office supplies systems, computer systems and common ground in user modeling.
So, yes, I've been around the block. I wouldn't have it any other way. The knowledge and experience I've gained can only help as I set up shop as a freelance commercial writer. That background is an enormous asset to you as we work together to deliver your message to your world.
Life on the farm, a rural school and my first job as a legal secretary in a small town left me craving excitement. I got my chance when a friend, then living in Pittsburgh, was looking for a roommate. Without a moment's hesitation, I left my job, by then in the commercial lending department of a local bank, landed a job in Pittsburgh (legal secretary again) and packed my bags.
A few years later, with too many secretarial jobs and a few community college classes under my belt, I decided that my job-hopping was making my resume look bad, so I joined up with a temp agency. One of my assignments was Port Authority of Allegheny County, the public transit provider for Pittsburgh and the surrounding Allegheny County. The Port Authority offered me a job--as a secretary, of course--but within the organization, there were places to move. After a couple secretarial stints, I was promoted to Supervisor of Office Services and later became Manager of Administrative Services. I always claimed that I was in charge of all the things no one else wanted, including the phone systems, the mail and print rooms, office equipment and supplies and records management.
During my time at Port Authority I went to night school at Community College of Allegheny County and University of Pittsburgh and earned a bachelor's degree in computer science. As time went on and circumstances changed, I found myself with a young child, a long commute and an increasingly unsatisfying job. I had started a master's degree program in Information Science, so I left my job, obtained a graduate student assistantship and finished up my master's degree full time.
Since earning my master's degree, I've been an adjunct professor for a local liberal arts college and a virtual office manager and webmaster for a group of Japanese recruiters who recruited for mostly tier 2 and tier 3 Japanese automotive companies operating in the US. I've also been an active volunteer for the Penn State Master Gardeners, including roles as the new class coordinator and as the organization's president and coordinator.
If I've done a good job, this Web site and my background have convinced you that I have the ability to get the words right. I am also comfortable with and have the experience required for researching, analyzing, organizing, synthesizing and targeting the words in your message to your world.