SUMMARY

A creative, analytically strong, results-oriented professional with over 20 years experience in coordination, management, education, program development, and facilitation over a broad range of disciplines.

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

• Coursework development and presentation: Technical workshops and classes, Leadership/Management and Organizational Development, Teambuilding, Customer/Client Relations, Effective Time Management, Computer Literacy, and New Employee Orientation

• Certified Facilitator, Covey Leadership Center's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

• Internal culture audits and employee/customer surveys, 360-degree performance appraisals and personal effectiveness surveys, focus group moderation

• Management of corporate training staff and educational facilities

• Author and editor: technical computer user reference manuals, training and systems manuals, newsletter, commercial flyers and brochures

• Consultant, Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO 9000 Series certification

• Internet Web site design and graphic arts illustration, design and animation

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Professional Writer and Writing Consultant, 1994 - Present

• Author of five novels: Skyguard1: The Aegis; Skyguard2: The Apocrypha; Skyguard3: The Creators, No Time for Jane; Ravenhurst Manor

• Author of two nonfiction books: Effective Time Management, Effective Technical Writing

• Workshops and seminars, Effective Time Management, Technical Writing

• Contract technical writing for corporations: software manuals, systems user manuals

Black & Veatch Engineers, Overland Park, Kansas, 1985-1994

Director of Continuing Education, Director of Educational Services

• Planned and implemented firm-wide educational programs and activities for 4,900 employees in such areas as new employee orientation, computer skills, leadership/management, interpersonal relationships, time management, and technical skills development. Provided support for mentoring programs, diversity, sexual harassment, and employee incentive systems. Scope of responsibility was for corporate headquarters and 30+ regional offices in the U.S. and abroad.

• Authored and edited technical training manuals, user manuals, and documentation for computer applications, corporate management newsletters, and corporate magazine.

• Taught classroom computer courses in Digital Equipment Corporations's VAX/VMS, VAX DCL, Microsoft MS-DOS, Microsoft Windows, Corel WordPerfect, Microsoft Word, CorelDRAW, Xerox Ventura, and Microsoft Mail.

• Created, wrote and published Personal Planner/Organizer for corporate use, thus saving the firm over $200,000 in costs over purchasing third-planners such as Franklin/Covey or DayTimer; developed Effective Time Management seminar to implement its use and conducted seminar for 1,500+ employees.

• Supervised Black & Veatch Education Center, including six classrooms, large seminar rooms, offices, library and reference materials, and all necessary aids and equipment consistent with the educational content, format, and objectives of all educational programs.

• Coordinated all firm-wide leadership/management, teamwork, time management, and computer training programs; developed and facilitated specialized programs for various organizations within the firm, management staff of eight full-time instructors and three clerical staff, coordinated thirty adjunct instructors.

• Established and administered education and training budgets in excess of $2M per year.

• Acted as consultant to Black & Veatch management for Total Quality Management (TQM) and ISO 9001 certification.

Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff (HNTB), Kansas City, Missouri, 1981-1985

Systems Manager, Computer Services Department, and Director of Computer Training

• Wrote technical systems and user manuals for in-house computer programs.

• Coordinated all firm-wide engineering and architectural scientific design/analysis programs and user access for the firm's mainframe computers.

• Specified, ordered and maintained all mainframe-related equipment and supplies (excluding accounting mainframe) with an annual budget of $3M+.

• Wrote scientific computer programs for engineering and architectural applications, including trend analysis and Critical Path Analysis.

• Developed, coordinated, and conducted training courses for mainframe computer systems technology and personal computer literacy.

• Designed and directed construction of the firm's computer services facility, including computer system specifications and installation of hardware and software.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

• Ph.D., Speech and Hearing Science, University of Kansas, 1979

• Bachelor of Education, University of Kansas, 1972

• Electronics Technical Certification, United States Air Force, 1965

MEMBERSHIPS AND ACTIVITIES

• Vietnam Veteran

• Guest Lecturer, Juilliard School of Music, Symposia for Care of the Professional Voice

• Past member, American Society for Training and Development (ASTD)

• Past member, International Association for Continuing Education and Training (IACET)

• Past Committee Chairman, Cub Scouts of America

• Past member, Board of Advisors, Kansas City Educational Network (KC EdNet) and the University of Missouri Video Network (UMVN)

• Past member, Raytown, Missouri YMCA Board of Directors