SUMMARY

• My writing, training, design and instructional approaches are fueled by my career expertise in customer interaction, product training and software deployment.
• Formal graphics design and page layout experience allow me to create attractive and compelling materials.
• I have successfully leveraged content strategies to give highly effective structure to complex environments (e.g. Oil & Gas, IT, telephony, web hosting providers, as well as international marketing endeavors).
• I have further utilized a variety of communication mediums to effectively connect with specific target audiences, and thus better fulfill business objectives.
• Highly effective communicator
• Significant experience with graphic manipulation, diagramming, and screen capture software
• Created effective self - study and interactive training programs
• Video creation and SharePoint experience.
• Self-motivated, and a creative and calculated problem solver

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Software: Adobe Creative Suite, Apache, Desktop Publishing utilities (In-Design, Scribus, Quark Xpress, Pagemaker), Emulation (VMWare, Wine, VPS, Mind mapping tools, MS Virtual Server, Zen), Image editors (Photoshop, GIMP, Pixelmator), Lotus Domino Designer (Database), MS Office (Excel, Word, Power Point, Publisher, Visio), OpenOffice (Calc, Writer, Impress, Databases, macros, master documents, templates, styles), Remote management utilities (PC Anywhere, VNC), RoboHelp, Samba, Security tools (Snort, Nessus, Satan, Tripwire), SharePoint (2007, 2010), Vector graphics utilities (Inkscape, Illustrator, FireWorks), Web site creation utilities (Bluefish, Quanta+, DreamWeaver, NVU, Composer, SharePoint Designer), Web-based administration utilities (Plesk, Cpanel, Helm, Ensim), X-Server utilities (Hummingbird, StarNet), video creation software (Captivate, Articulate, and Camtasia), Sound editing software / DAWs (Audacity, Avid, Ableton Live, LMMS, Traverso, Ardour, Rose Garden, Jokosher), Wireframing Applications (Pencil, UXPin, Axure, Omnigraffle, etc.), LiveLink, Subversion

Operating Systems: Linux (Red Hat, SUSE, Mandriva), Mac OSX, UNIX (Sun OS, Solaris, AIX, BSD, FreeBSD, Open BSD), Windows (NT, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, Vista, 2008)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Corporate Information Architect (Communications) / Sr. Technical Writer

Confidential, Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• PROFESSIONALISM EQUALS DOLLARS: Wrote business proposals for city, state and federal projects, resulting in the highest success rate and the most improved representation in the company’s 23-year history.
• SAFETY FIRST: Compiled random company safety policies, industry resources and city, state and federal regulations to create the company’s first complete 400+ paged safety manual.
• CORPORATE VOICE: Work closely with upper-management on formulating content for highly confidential messages, such as business proposals, marketing campaigns, and sensitive governmental collaboration.
• THOROUGH LEGAL RESEARCH & PROPER BUSINESS APPLICATION: Thoroughly researched the legal needs of the civil and tower construction industry and created an extensive, yet highly streamlined, policies and procedures manual, in compliance with current federal regulations.
• CREATING REVENUE OPORTUNITIES: Created a variety of service options that provide potential residual income for the company, while providing the customer with greater flexibility and security regarding maintenance and repair services.
• MODERNIZATION: Using proven design methodologies, improved the company’s long-standing logo and corporate colors to be more modern and better contrasting, using mood-enhancing colors and a more effective font type.
• LOOK-N-FEEL: Used newly modernized corporate logo and letterhead to professionalize all documentation, both internal as well as those used in external business communication.
• UX/UI DESIGN: Used solid UX and design principles to redesign (not implement) a greatly improved Web site. The intuitive layout improved navigation, while the well-researched content creates greater customer confidence and exposes them to a larger range of available services.

Sr. Technical Writer

Confidential, Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• WRITING CHALLENGE: Commissioned to consolidate writing contributions from 18 different multi-national authors (i.e. Non-native English speakers) into a single document that chronicled the entire Repsol upstream process. Three writers before me were unable to complete this task.
• VOICE, LOOK & FEEL: Reviewed, edited, rewrote and restructured deliverables prepared by others for grammatical accuracy, conciseness, style, clarity, tone, voice, and design consistency
• COLLABORATING: Collaborated with SMEs across the organization to develop content for multiple audiences, including managers, support personnel, geophysicists, geologists, etc.
• PROFESSIONAL & CONSISTENT MESSAGING: Created clear, logical, and concise print and written deliverables that remained consistent in tone and voice, and aligned with branding and business key messages.
• COMMUNICATION: Regularly consulted with leadership, project management, technical experts, and other staff to ensure a common and accurate understanding of complete upstream procedures.
• FOUR WEEKS TO FOUR MONTHS: Originally commissioned for a four week project, I was asked to stay onboard for four months to dedicate myself to other projects based on my previous successes.
• CREATING STANDARDS: Created and maintained document templates, design standards, graphics standards, and communication guidelines to create consistency across all design and communication efforts (while remaining compliant to existing Repsol design regulations).

Sr. Communications Consultant / Sr. Technical Writer

Confidential, Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• NOTE: The many roles that I held within Shell E&P organization were executed under two titles for multiple managers across various OUs of the organization throughout a nearly eight year period. They are categorized here by role for clarity.
• TRAINING CURRICULUM: Created training documentation for PeopleSoft AP/AR and SharePoint modules.
• ASSURING ACCURACY: Coordinate information flow between product managers, programmers, testing teams, and user education personnel to ensure accuracy and quality within the user documentation, training materials and video creation.
• CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS: Work closely with upper-management on formulating content for highly confidential messages, such as business plans, marketing campaigns, and sensitive up-stream communication
• PROFESSIONAL FILTER: Served as the lead editor and information coordinator for over 200 highly visible geophysical-related documents, including articles for internal technical journals, business plans, Tollgate documents, Web pages, user guides, training material, posters, brochures, videos, etc.
• AUDIENCE CLARITY: Evaluate technical topics/materials and distill key information relevant for both technical and non-technical audiences

Sr. Communications Consultant / Sr. Technical Writer (Cont.)

Confidential, Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• VERSATILITY: Work under multiple titles to manage corporate communication at a variety of levels; training, seminars, journals, marketing media, up-stream communication (to upper management), and international presentations
• CONSISTENT CORPORATE VOICE: Regularly advise Shell’s internal marketing teams on customizing messages to specific audiences
• TRUSTED: Personally commissioned by Shell’s VP of Subsurface & Wells Software to manage multiple high profile internal marketing campaigns
• MARKET PENETRATION: Commissioned as the lead consultant and Subject Matter Expert to design and develop an iPad marketing campaign for external market penetration

UX Architect / Lead UX Designer

Confidential, Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• LEAD CONSULTANT: Serve as the lead UX consultant for subsurface imaging and interpretation software at Shell international
• CONTENT STRATEGY: Access OU content, map out where that content would be best positioned for customer needs, and then create graphical examples of how that content would look in a well-branded graphical UX environment
• FIT-FOR-PURPOSE DESIGN: Created and standardized a variety of UX designs that provide effective and solid UX interfaces across a wide range of technologically diverse environments
• FONT OPTIMIZATION: Identify areas of software, portals and Web sites, where using alternate font options would optimize readability or legibility (depending on which is needed)
• UP- AND DOWN-STREAM COMMUNICATION: Coordinate information flow between product managers, UX teams, testing teams, programmers, scientists and product testers (users), to ensure accuracy and quality for each UX/UI project
• SHAREPOINT MIGRATION: Manage challenging content migrations across multiple internal organizations in extremely diverse oil & gas environments
• CUSTOMIZING CONTENT: Evaluate client content, and rework as needed for better communication and branding to the target audience(s)

eTraining, Video Creation, Voice-Overs & Marketing Specialist

Confidential, Houston, TX

Responsibilities:

• PRODUCT CLARIFICATION: Help internal departments communicate the value proposition of product lines and services
• STANDARDIZING: Developed and implemented graphics and layout standards to improve consistency across different media
• PROCESS OPTIMIZING: Improved the product documentation processes and management strategy from two weeks to a single day
• DIGITAL MEDIA: Provide full-circle eLearning and promotional video Confidential ; script writing, voice-over, directing, producing, and creation
• CORPORATE COMPLIANCE: Edit and proof all types of international marketing collateral & technical documents in compliance with corporate conventions
• PERSONAL CHOICE: Personally commissioned by Shell’s VP of Subsurface & Wells Software to manage multiple high profile internal marketing campaigns
• EFFECTIVE, REGARDLESS OF THE MEDIUM: Use a variety of professional-level graphics, audio, video, and music software to create effective marketing and instructional materials for worldwide geophysical conferences, marketing campaigns, and training programs.
• ROYALTY: Commissioned to create a video highlighting Shell-developed subsurface technologies for the 2009 inauguration of the Qatar Science & Technology Park (QTSP). The video was personally presented to the Sheik of Qatar by the then CEO of Shell