corporate america

April, 2024 – Present: Senior Technical Writer, VetsEZ

I am a full-time employee at VetsEZ, working remotely in support of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. Responsibilities include information design, healthcare interface design, information architecture, training materials, user interfaces, and business analysis. Specific tasks include the following:

• Write/edit such technical documentation as System Design Documents (SDDs), Production Operations Manuals (POMs), Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), and monitoring plans/reports;

• Work with leadership and teams to design, implement, and manage SharePoint sites in support of software releases;

• Document software releases via Deployment, Installation, & Rollback Guides, release notes, and lessons learned documents; and

• Research and create such products as ChatGPT policies and Jira OKR best practices.

May, 2021 – July, 2023: Contract Technical Writer - Remote

Technical Writer, USTECH SOLUTIONS (Point32Health)
September, 2022 – July. 2023
I was a contractor with USTECH SOLUTIONS, working remotely to create network infrastructure documentation in support of the merger of Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, two New England nonprofit health care companies.  The new parent company is Point32Health.  Efforts included ServiceNow HR documentation, the Incident Management Ops SOP, and knowledge base article guidance/writing standards, as well as the conversion of legacy (multi-tier) job aid documentation to new doc templates--including cybersecurity documentation.

Technical Writer, Knowledge Services (TDOE)
May, 2021 – September, 2022
I was a contractor with Knowledge Services, working as a member of the Tennessee Department of Education’s District Technology Team. I was charged with creating cybersecurity documentation (FAQs, User Guides, Individual Action Plans, et cetera), supporting the rollout of the CIS Controls Self-Assessment Tool Pro (CIS-CSAT Pro) to each educational district throughout the State of Tennessee. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) is the global governing body for securing IT systems and data.

In addition, I created both the documentation project plan and the overall documentation for the Tennessee Education Data System (TEDS), an on-going initiative to develop a new core data infrastructure for all state reporting and applications, allowing stakeholders from the state-level to the classroom-level to engage with more meaningful data in improved and innovative ways. And, I created (and maintained) a MS SharePoint-based support site that the team used to track the documentation lifecycle and house writing standards, editorial assets/resources, and so on.

October, 2020 – May, 2021: Technical Writer, JR Automation

I created technical manuals to accompany robots and machinery built in the Nashville facility. Duties included the assembly of hard copy and digital manuals, as well as ensuring the documentation met project specifications. Internal documentation covered the technical writing procedures, video camera operations, and so on.

In addition, I used an assortment of cameras to create and maintain photographic and video archives for each documentation project. Photos were used in the manuals and covered the in-progress, station, tear down, and shipping processes for a project. I produced normal, high-speed, and stop motion videos upon request. Customers requested video multimedia files, project managers used them for troubleshooting, and subject matter experts used them to explain a variety of procedures.

October, 2018 – April, 2020: Technical Writer, Marcum LLP

I created an assortment of documentation at Marcum LLP, one of the largest independent public accounting and advisory services Firms in the nation. Documentation included user guides, installation instructions, sales slicks, implementation manuals, Visio flow charts, and an assortment of products supporting the Firm's mergers. In addition, I used SharePoint to document technical writing and editing standards and procedures.

March, 2018 – October, 2018: Technical Writer, TMW Systems

I created documentation in support of quarterly software releases for Innovative Web Edition, TMW’s management solution for the trucking industry. Documentation included release notes, user guides, sales slicks, implementation manuals, and installation guides. TMW Systems is a leading provider of enterprise software primarily to transportation and logistics operations.

May, 2016 – March, 2018: Technical Writer III, Change Healthcare

I was a member of a 17-person team, consisting of a manager/project lead, two technical writers, and 14 Service Performance Analysts (SPAs). Working within Training, Quality Assurance, and Documentation (TQAD), I helped train the SPAs to create operational procedures for a Confluence-based online library. In addition, I worked with a fellow-technical writer to create and maintain the SPA Toolbox, the digital infrastructure that houses the team’s training materials, writing standards, editorial assets/resources, and so on.

August, 2012 – May, 2016: Technical Writer, Electrolux

I was a member of the literature team, responsible for creating a variety of product documentation in support of the assembly lines at the Springfield, Tennessee plant. In addition, I was responsible for documentation associated with products being moved from the company’s Canadian plant to its assembly lines in Memphis, Tennessee.

I created and maintained the Electrolux Style Guide, presented as part of the company’s corporate Intranet. This site provided the company with information and resources essential for achieving a consistent writing style, ensuring: 1) literature conforms to template styles; 2) new writers and employees are aware of existing styles and grammatical decisions; 3) improved consistency within/among documents, especially when multiple writers are involved; 4) no need to reinvent the wheel for every document and project; and 5) a reminder of style decisions for all technical writers.

March, 2011 – August, 2012: Technical Writer - Advanced, HP Enterprise Services

I was a member of the Documentation and Training Team, a group of writers, editors, trainers, and technology professionals supporting the Bureau of TennCare’s operations. I was the primary editor for four functional areas and two projects, as well as the secondary and tertiary editor for three functional areas and three projects.

Each month, I handled approximately 30 documents as I worked with an international group of testers, business analysts, and system engineers to edit and prepare the following: 1) requirements analysis documents; 2) business design documents; 3) technical design documents; 3) test plans; 4) defect analysis documents; and 5) user guides. I ensured a document review turnaround time of 48 hours or less. In addition, I wrote numerous articles for the HP-TennCare quarterly newsletter, created educational information as needed, and performed other writing and editorial tasks, as assigned.

I created and maintained the HP-TennCare Style Guide, presented as part of HP’s corporate Intranet. I was a member of Hewlett-Packard’s Editorial Review Board (ERB). The ERB is composed of writers and editors across HP, providing a diverse range of experience and using a variety of authoring tools and publication methods.

July, 2006 – March, 2011: Technical Writer II, Trane

Provided HVAC literature for assembly lines and professionals in the field. Duties included:

• For three product lines, maintaining info on Trane.com, as well as on four Intranet sites;

• Writing/editing service and marketing literature; and

• Using print-on-demand technology to print and distribute copies to the assembly lines.

May, 2002 – June, 2006: Coordinator of Marketing and Development, MTSU’s Division of Continuing Studies and Public Service

Provided communication and marketing support to nearly 30 managers and workers in two areas: Academic Outreach and Distance Learning (AODL) and Professional Development and Personal Enrichment (PDPE). Responsibilities included:

• Developing and executing a marketing plan, including all advertising, merchandising, publicity, events, and promotions;

• Creating/implementing a production schedule for three course catalogs, an annual report, two literary journals, and numerous brochures, pamphlets, and other materials;

• Daily operations of a Web site, providing support to such areas as evening school, correspondence study, online education, telecourses, and noncredit courses.

• Performing such writing duties as writing columns for internal MTSU publications, ghostwriting for the dean, and supporting The Writer’s Loft.

Founder/Director, MTSU’s The Writer’s Loft & Editor of The Trunk

In addition to my regular job at MTSU, I created and launched The Writer's Loft, MTSU’s low-residency certificate in creative writing. The Loft is a three semester, stand-alone program for the nontraditional student who wishes to develop as a writer. And I was the (founding) editor of the program’s literary journal The Trunk for the Fall 2003, Fall 2004, Summer 2005, and Summer 2006 issues.

October, 2001 – May, 2002: Director of Marketing, Tennessee Nurses Association

Developed and implemented the organization’s marketing plan and communications program, planned/implemented yearly events, created the company’s annual report to the board of directors, and created and maintained an Internet site.

April, 2000 – June, 2001: Cybrarian (Proposal Editor & Webmaster), ClientLogic Corporation

Coordinated all aspects of the proposal process, from the Request for Proposal (RFP) to the finished product, as well as created and maintained a global Intranet site.

June, 1998 – November, 1999: Technical Writer & Webmaster, Deloitte & Touche

Worked with a team of contractors and managed one employee as we created and enhanced a national Web-based Online Help system for SAP, Systems Applications and Products in data processing. This product supported the following SAP modules: Human Resources, General Ledger, and Accounts Payable.

February, 1998 – May, 1998: Senior Technical Writer, Computer Sciences Corporation

As a member of the documentation team using the Online Help tool Doc-to-Help, I helped this contracting agency convert a French insurance application to English.

October, 1996 – February, 1998: Technical Writer, The MEDSTAT Group/Inforum

Developed an Intranet site, in addition to creating Online Help, training manuals, and software installation guides for such products as Outcomes Analyst, Demand Modeling, and Health Plan Management.

August, 1994 – September, 1996: Technical Writer, DataQuest Corporation

Created Online Help for the company’s financial software applications, including General Ledger, Accounts Payable, and Payroll/Personnel.

September, 1992 – July, 1994: Newspaper Reporter, The News Examiner

While at the paper, I learned how to deliver quality products on a deadline and how to work under pressure. In addition to writing news and feature stories, I was responsible for taking and developing photographs.