Technical Writer

Professional Summary

I am a business professional and people-person who merges my experience and skills as a Technical Writer, Editor, Analyst, Trainer, and Curriculum Developer with my eclectic educational background, career adventures, and life experience to support, drive, and enhance communications, processes, systems, reporting, and learning. Along with my strong verbal and written communication skills, keen ability to learn new concepts, tools, and software accurately and quickly, I collaborate effectively and easily with peers, management, and clients. My attention to detail (known as “Eagle Eye” to some!) and commitment to professionalism and integrity ensures my work is technically sound, timely, and of quality caliber. My experience encompasses a wide range of areas including: training and curriculum development; internal corporate communications; contract administration; business planning and analysis; operations; documentation; customer service; web design and development; email marketing; and, database design, in the fields of: finance; IT; academia; health care; and publishing.

Education

Agile Master Certified (SAMCTM) - SCRUMstudy

Scrum Master Certified (SMCTM) - SCRUMstudy

Master of Social Work - Fordham University; New York, NY

B.A. in Philosophy, Sociology - York College, CUNY; Jamaica, NY

Certificate in Business Management - Agricultural and Technical College, SUNY; Farmingdale, NY

Graduate courses in Business Administration - Pace University; New York, NY

Total Quality Advantage Improvement System - Organizational Dynamics, Inc. (ODI)

Technical Skills

Microsoft® Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, Excel, Visio, Access, SharePoint; OneNote; Teams; WordPress; HTML; Dreamweaver; Acrobat; Photoshop; SnagIt; Slack; WebEx; Skype; ServiceNow; JIRA; Confluence; Google Suite; Google Analytics; SEO; Dropbox; Constant Contact (email marketing)

Professional Experience

University of Washington (Remote) [Contractor] 05/2022 – 12/2023

Senior Technical Editor and Writer – Office of Research Information Services (ORIS) Customer Experience

Wrote content and published articles for the ORIS Support Desk’s Knowledge Base for SAGE (System to Administer Grants Electronically) and SAGE Central by reviewing tickets and conducting SME interviews

Created and documented the process for KB article publications including JIRA task creation, title naming convention, and template application

Designed and created KB article templates in Confluence and UW Connect (ServiceNow)

Migrated Confluence KB articles to UW Connect (ServiceNow), adding meta data during the process

Wrote and edited content and created images for Standard Operating Procedures related to ORIS Support Desk operations (Confluence) and SAGE and SAGE Central user guides (WordPress, SharePoint)

Reviewed, tested, and edited SAGE eLearning courses (Articulate)

Managed project details using Google Sheets and JIRA

Participated in bi-monthly CX/UX (Customer Experience/User Experience) staff discussion group to review what SAGE and SAGE Central users needed and valued, as well as their abilities and limitations

Doubled the number of articles in the ORIS Support Desk’s Knowledge Base by analyzing one year of closed JIRA tickets and writing content; provided metrics re: KB article expansion

Consulted on repurposing a WordPress site, and created the structure for the new SAGE Central website

Documented WordPress basics for training purposes and to catalog specifics to the organization

Suggested enhancements to WordPress sites, including plug-in recommendations

FIS (Fidelity Information Services/Worldpay) (Remote) [Contractor] 12/2021 – 05/2022

Senior Technical Writer

Developed documentation inventory and requirements for new product launches for Modern Banking Platform, a cloud-enabled, componentized, modernization solution designed with API-first functionality

Advised management of and incorporated changes and enhancements needed in document templates to satisfy regulators and improve client collateral

Helped build a global product knowledge services organization Center of Excellence

Co-hosted of Writing Teams Huddle, a weekly forum for asking questions and exchanging knowledge

Wells Fargo (Remote) [Contractor] 06/2020 – 12/2021

Tech Writing & Business Support Consultant – TRDR - Backup Restore Validation Testing (BRVT)

Created and updated procedures, process maps, and RACIs for individual work streams of Technology Resiliency and Disaster Recovery (TRDR)’s Backup Restore Validation Testing (BRVT) initiative

Facilitated team meetings focused on analysis and review of process flows and gaps, discussion of project documentation requirements, and department SharePoint site updates

Interviewed Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in order to draft playbooks and step-by-step procedures to satisfy financial regulatory requirements needed for the Business as Usual (BAU) environment

Analyzed and translated stakeholders’ requirements in order to author original content

Facilitated application validations, guiding testers through the process of accessing a firewalled environment, running queries, and completing documentation of artifacts of evidence

Recommended, designed, and incorporated enhancements into the BRVT SharePoint site and granted permission access requests (as site owner)

Created customized team member orientation curriculum for offshore new hires; conducted orientation and training sessions; submitted system access requests and provided other business support

Created job aids to assist current and new team members in training and cross-training roles

Researched and prepared presentations and other documentation re: best practices, regulatory/compliance matters, communications, and special projects

Designed and created Word templates for job aids, procedures, and playbooks as needed

Bank of the West (Remote) [Contractor] 10/2019 – 05/2020

Technical Writer – Enterprise Portfolio Delivery Services

Supported CyberClean Project, a major Bank initiative to update all IT systems to ensure the highest security, making Bank of the West “safer every day”

Interviewed stakeholders and SMEs to write clear, concise technical documentation

Authored original content and provided analytical and editorial support to managers for procedures, reports, executive summaries, and other technical submissions to successfully satisfy KPOCs of internal and external agencies

Enhanced IT Governance-approved procedures template by establishing documentation guidelines and improving use of styles

Wrote Confluence pages about terms of engagement, terminology, and JIRA notes

The Computer Spirit Websites and Coffee (Gilbert, AZ) [Consultant/Owner] 08/2018 – 10/2019

Technical Writer Editor Website Designer Trainer Instructional Designer Business Coach

Performed UAT testing, analyzed solutions for continuous improvement, suggested requirements and recommendations, and implemented changes in client business, marketing, and writing projects

Provided software training along with technical support materials to students learning Computer Basics, Microsoft® Windows, Microsoft Office, the Internet, email, WordPress, and Constant Contact email marketing

Designed, developed, maintained, and provided editorial, SEO, and technical support for WordPress websites

Co-founder and Facilitator of Websites and Coffee series of interactive, hands-on workshops to empower individuals to create and control their own self-hosted WordPress website

MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (Tempe, AZ) [Contractor]

Technical Writer Trainer SharePoint Admin – Financial Planning & Analysis 12/2017 – 07/2018

Partnered with Line of Business SMEs to understand and analyze business needs, draft business and operations procedures, and obtain appropriate approvals from management and governance teams

Gathered business requirements from Policy & Governance and FP&A Mgt Reporting for content, structure, and style for procedures documentation, and then created template from those requirements

Managed procedures timeline and pipeline, devising tracking system for review frequency intervals, along with responsibility for maintaining documentation repository

Created job aids and provided training re: SharePoint best practices, validation & procedures controls, etc.

Drafted business requirements for the FP&A Management Reporting SharePoint site

As a SharePoint site owner, developed and maintained the FP&A Management Reporting site

Provided support to directors by preparing and maintaining operations routines, meeting routines inventory, etc. as well as supported the team in software use and best practices (PPT, SharePoint, Word)

MUFG Union Bank, N.A. (Tempe, AZ) [Contractor]

Technical Writer Instructional Designer Trainer – Risk Governance Training 04/2017 – 10/2017

Supported the Third-Party Risk Management (TPRM) team in the content creation/design, implementation, delivery, and continuous improvement of TPRM training and communications, ensuring knowledge and professionalism in interactions with external business clients

Researched, analyzed, and collaborated with subject matter experts to develop training materials, job instructions, and glossaries pertaining to policies, processes, and systems

UAT testing of Vendor Risk Management System (VRMS) software changes to TPRM Scorecard, Documents Requirements Tool (DRT), etc.

Wrote curriculum and designed, developed, and delivered training to TPRM stakeholders

Maintained the VRMS User Guide, ensuring it stayed current with system and procedural changes

Created storyboards for onward creation of eLearning course files

Shared responsibilities of internal communications for TPRM and Ops Risk Management teams

Spirit-Works Enterprises, Inc. (AZ – Gilbert, Sedona) [Owner] 04/1999 – 04/2017

Website Designer Instructional Designer Trainer Technical Writer Editor Business Coach

Developed, maintained, and provided technical support and search engine optimization (SEO) for CMS—WordPress—and HTML websites

Designed, developed, and implemented customized coaching sessions, training seminars, and workshops in WordPress, Constant Contact email marketing, general computer use, software, etc.

Developed instructor support materials (PowerPoint decks, lesson plans, test banks, customized assessments and solutions) for recognized leader in Microsoft® courseware

Developed, designed, and wrote software reference guides, database user manuals, SOPs, etc.

Designed, wrote content, edited, and published newsletters

Provided editorial services for authors of books, articles, other printed matter, and online media

Managed day-to-day business operations, including: business planning; development and implementation of marketing strategies; office management; building customer relationships; event planning, promotion, and staffing; development and dissemination of marketing collateral

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (Phoenix, AZ) [Contractor] 07/2016 – 11/2016

Technical Writer – Business Strategy

Interviewed Compliance Solutions Designated Brokerage Services team members and analyzed their work processes in order to translate into training materials and satisfy internal audit requirements

Wrote step-by-step procedures that included informational content and screen captures

Created format and style template for training guides, and devised document control system

Critiqued current procedures and suggested process improvements

Cognosante Health Data and Communications (Phoenix, AZ) [Contractor] 11/2015 – 04/2016

Case Analyst Business Analyst

Identified informational and processing problems regarding Affordable Care Act of 2010 enrollment information shared between the Exchanges, issuers, consumers, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)

Applied triage, research, collaboration, and technical knowledge to resolve transaction and processing issues through analysis and use of decision matrices

Analyzed discrepancies in the eligibility reconciliation process for multiple stakeholders using defined data sources and following Standard Operating Procedures

Wolters Kluwer Healthcare Analytics (Phoenix, AZ) [Contractor] 05/2007 – 03/2008

Business Analyst Technical Writer

Interviewed SMEs and stakeholders for business requirements gathering and translation into functional requirements

Wrote system use case documents, functional specifications, user guides, and SOPs

Tested and reviewed software engineers’ design and implementation of GUIs, documented flaws and inconsistencies, and provided step-by-step corrections and enhancements for user-friendliness

Santa Fe Community College (Santa Fe, NM) [Contractor] 07/2000 – 04/2003

Adjunct Faculty Instructional Designer Technical Writer

Taught to eclectic population Information Technology courses – Windows, Word, Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, email and the Internet – in the Credit, Continuing Education, and Contract divisions

Analyzed, documented, and revised the processes of SFCC’s independent study-style lab (FlexLab)

Presbyterian Medical Services (Santa Fe, NM) 01/1998 – 02/1999

Database Developer Technical Writer Trainer Care Coordination Manager

Designed, developed, and implemented the Agency’s Client Profile, Provider Agency, and Authorizations Systems Database in Microsoft Access

Documented the aforementioned database structure, design, and usage

Trained staff in the use of Windows, Access, and Corel WordPerfect

Evaluated clinical appropriateness of treatment for behavioral health clients and facilitated coordination of care with providers

Nambé Pueblo (Santa Fe, NM) 04/1997 - 11/1997

Director of Community Health and Social Services

Oversaw the management of the objectives of the Community Health Resources and Indian Children Welfare Act (ICWA) grants for the 700-member Nambé Pueblo community and managed a $200k budget

Managed the development and implementation of the community-wide Diabetes Prevention and Health Transportation programs

American Express Bank Limited (New York, NY) 04/1984 – 09/1994

Senior Operations Analyst Business Analyst Technical Writer Contract Administrator

Designed, developed, implemented, and maintained tracking and reporting systems of covenants and transaction documentation, including that of a $600 million international leasing portfolio, in order to ensure compliance

Developed the NY Agency Operations' Service Tracking system database and reports, created its instructional and programming manual, and trained operations managers and staff in statistical reporting input and overall system use

Provided analytical interpretation and instruction to contribute to product and client profitability which was used in assessing future business opportunities and identifying weak operational areas

Reviewed the creditworthiness of current and potential clients through detailed financial analysis, country risk and exposure assessment, and documentation review

Affiliations and Volunteerism

Registrar—Unity of Prescott Annual Women’s retreat

Member—Sacred Veil Choir

Co-Facilitator— CSL-Prescott Women's Empowerment Circle

Tutor—Prescott Valley Library Adult Literacy Group (PVLALG)

Facilitator—Spirit Group “Design Your Life”

Co-Chair—Connections Team Creating Tomorrow initiative

Member—Metro Phoenix Technical Communicators meet-up

Member—Love in Action Choir

Community Coach—Yavapai Reentry Project

Board of Directors—CHARACTER COUNTS! IN SANTA FE

Co-Founder, Administrator, and Member—Threshold Singers of Sedona

Newsletter Editor/Publisher—Non-Profit Connections; Steps to Recovery Homes; etc.

Special Events Coordinator—York College CUNY; Fordham GSSS career development seminar; etc.

Recording Secretary—American Express Bank Business Planning & Analysis MIS Project; York College CUNY President's Committee on Ceremonies and Commencement; etc.

Treasurer/Auditor—New York Women's Chorus, 12 Step Convention Committee, etc.

Co-Developer (with Assistant Dean)—Fordham University graduate school course “Spirituality and Social Work Practice”

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