Editorial Director, Publications Manager

James P. Watson

**** ******** ******, **

Washington, DC 20011

Home: 202-***-****

Work: 202-***-****

Cell: 202-***-****

*********@*******.***

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Publications Manager

OFFICE OF NATIONAL DRUG CONTROL POLICY

Washington, DC

April 2002 – Present

Manage and coordinate all stages of production for booklets, newsletters, brochures, fact sheets and other documents for the White House drug office, overseeing all research, writing, editing, copyediting, design and layout, printing and distribution. Create schedules to meet impossible deadlines, typically juggling a dozen tasks at once. Working closely with staff in the offices of Demand Reduction, Supply Reduction, Legislative Affairs, Legal Counsel, State & Local Affairs, and the National Anti-Drug Media Campaign, among other components, I research, write, assign and edit all copy for style, accuracy, clarity and relevance, then design the documents using Microsoft Word or InDesign. It is also my responsibility to circulate the drafts for review, incorporate edits and ensure overall accuracy and consistency, then submit the revised documents to the Chief of Staff for approval. Other tasks performed: created and maintained drug databases using Microsoft Excel; researched and wrote detailed reports on regional drug prevalence; wrote or edited op-eds, press releases and talking points; served as editor on the 2010 National Drug Control Strategy; served as Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR) on a 2008 project in partnership with the U.S. Department of Education.

Senior Editor

READER’S DIGEST MAGAZINE

Pleasantville, NY

July 1998 – Sept. 2001

As sponsoring editor on the magazine’s Original Articles staff, worked with freelance writers to develop stories on a variety of topics, including medical breakthroughs, “dramas in real life,” crime, terrorism, sports, parenting, personal finance, science & technology, puzzles & games, entertainment, history, politics, humor, literature and home repair. As a member of the Proposal Committee, sat in judgment of freelancers’ story queries. Regularly wrote the monthly “From the Editor” letter for the Editor-in-Chief. Also wrote “Among Our Contributors” and “Whatever Happened To …?” Conducted seminars on the elements of storytelling to editors from Reader’s Digest bureaus around the world.

Text Editor

TIME-LIFE BOOKS

Alexandria, VA

Jan. 1993 - May 1998

As editor for science and health, assigned and edited material for the series Journey Through the Mind and Body and for The Medical Advisor, a 1,200-page health encyclopedia. Also served as lead editor for the volume “Basic Wiring” in the Home Repair and Improvement series.

Editor (freelance)

NATURE’S BEST

McLean, VA

January 1995 – July 1998

As founding editor for this award-winning magazine, assigned and edited articles on a wide range of topics dealing with nature photography. Working with the publisher and designer, played a key role in developing content, approach, story selection, layout, style and editorial voice.

Senior Editor

NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

Vienna, VA

July 1988 - Dec. 1992

Working with freelance writers, researchers and scientists, assigned, edited and wrote articles about animal natural history, conservation, nature and the environment for NWF’s flagship magazines, National Wildlife and International Wildlife.

Deputy Editor, Features

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Washington, DC

August 1986 - June 1988

Managed staff of 8 to 10 junior editors, writers and assistants. Planned issues, assigned photos, commissioned illustrations, edited articles, approved layouts and supervised paste-up to fill seven pages of broadsheet in the newspaper’s daily features section. Was also founding editor of WashingtonWeekend, a 60-page weekly entertainment magazine.

Staff Writer

THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Washington, DC

March 1984 - August 1986

Wrote articles for the Metro, features and foreign desks. Highlights include a nine-article

front-page series based on an undercover assignment in the mountains of Nicaragua.

OTHER EXPERIENCE

• Reporter, State Politics, The Daily Progress, Charlottesville, VA

• Assistant Editor, The Gazette, Great Falls, VA

• Technical Editor, Electronic Data Systems, Alexandria, VA

• Editor, “Weekender,” The Danville Register, Danville, VA

• Writer-Editor (freelance), “Living in Balance: Population, Consumption, and the Planet,” World Wildlife Fund

• Writer (freelance) for children’s books “What's Your Universal Address?” and

“The Time Stone”

• Editor (freelance), the “Missing Manual” computer reference books

• Writer-Editor (freelance), Woman's World magazine

• Associate Editor, Women's Health Digest, National Menopause Foundation

• Professional musician (percussion)

• Professional voice-over talent

• Teacher, high school Spanish

• Translator (Spanish), U.S. Social Security Administration, New York, NY

SPECIAL SKILLS

• Active security clearance: Secret

• Spanish (spoken and written)

• Certificates: Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative (COTR), Microsoft Excel Intermediate, Adobe InDesign (CS3 and CS4), HTML Programming

• Technical: MS Office; QuarkXPress, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Acrobat Standard/Professional; equally comfortable in Windows or Macintosh environment

EDUCATION

• Washington and Lee University – B.A., Spanish

• Virginia Commonwealth University; the University of Virginia – graduate studies in journalism

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