employment history

Association of Fundraising Professionals, Alexandria, VA
     2/2006 - present
     Assignment Writer, Advancing Philanthropy Magazine (Contract)

• Write regular departments ("The Donor's Turn," "Your Career") on assignment.

Science and Technology Policy Institute, Institute of Defense Analyses, Washington, DC
     1/2006 - present
     Technical Writer (Contract)

• Write and edit reports and white papers presenting key findings of STPI studies.
• Provide on-call editorial support for STPI written products.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Washington, DC
     8/2005 - 11/2005
     Technical Writer (Contract)

• Edited workshop reports for national and international science and technology workshops sponsored by OSTP.
• Coordinated tasks and assignments between OSTP and the Science and Technology Policy Institute of the Institute for Defense Analyses.

WTEC, Inc., Baltimore, MD
     10/2004 - present
     Technical Writer (Contract)

• Edit scientific reports, panel reports, and conference proceedings related to cutting edge international and federally-supported science (e.g., nanotechnology, sensors, and robotics).
• Writing and editing a strategic plan for the Multiagency Tissue Engineering Science (MATES) interagency working group.
• Provide administrative support for MATES interagency working group, including: record, prepare, and distribute meeting minutes; coordinate e-mail distribution lists; update and maintain working group's public and private web sites; coordinate distribution of working group documents.
• Wrote and edited a keynote address for a senior National Science Foundation executive to present at an international conference.
• Edited budget supplement document for National Nanotechnology Initiative.
• Ghostwrote a chapter in a science conference proceedings.
• Assist in arrangements for scientific conferences.

Global Impact, Alexandria, VA
     8/2004 - present
     Writer (Contract)

• Write feature-length articles for the Global Impact web site.
• Edit existing articles on web site.
• Write and edit articles for print publications and Annual Report.
• Conducted interviews and wrote two features for the GI-administered Combined Federal Campaign-National Capital Area (CFC-NCA) web site.
• Wrote promotional copy for a GI ad campaign that appeared in the Washington Post.

EEI Communications, Alexandria, VA
     1/2001 - present
     Writer/Editor (Contract)

• Write feature articles (with telephone interviews and background research) for EEI Press publication The Editorial Eye.
• Wrote and edited text and informational sidebars, conducted photo research, and identified bibliographic sources for several series of apprentice training textbooks for the construction trades for EEI client National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER).
• Attended writing team meetings and liaised with subject matter experts (SMEs), publisher's representatives, and curriculum developers throughout the writing and editing process to ensure the product met specifications and requirements for NCCER publications.
• Consulted with desktop publishing staff on layout and design issues; consulted on illustrations and created several illustrations using graphics software for many EEI client projects.
• Wrote and designed marketing brochure for EEI client Pegasus Lectures, Inc.
• Wrote feature articles (with telephone interviews and background research) for EEI Press custom publication Advancing Philanthropy.
• Wrote news digest items for EEI Press custom publication Georgetown Magazine.
• Substantively edited and rewrote IT guide for EEI client National Rural Electrical Cooperative Association (NRECA).
• Wrote award citations for best practices awards for EEI client U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
• Wrote press releases, feature articles, and web site content for EEI client Points of Light Foundation (PLF).
• Conducted archival and filing system appraisal and developed archival preservation recommendations and guidelines for historical records for EEI client U.S. Marshal's Service.

ASIS International, Alexandria, VA
     8/2004 - 12/2004; 2/2006 - present
     Writer (Contract)

• Wrote exhibitor prospectus for 2005 Annual Seminar and Exhibits.
• Wrote and edited brochure and advertising copy for conference.
• Designed, wrote, and edited advertising postcards for four seminar and training programs.
• Wrote advertising copy, conference brochure/agenda, and marketing latter for first-of-its-kind conference being targeted to a new audience.
• Brainstormed suggestions for conference title.

Human Factors International, Fairfield, IA
     10/2002 - 12/2003
     Technical Writer (Contract)

• Wrote and designed “Frequently Asked Questions About Prescription Medicines,” a prototype FAQ web page for HFI client GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
• Developed outline and training materials for a two-day “Writing For the Web” course to be offered as part of HFI's usability training programs.
• Wrote and edited content for a prototype consumer web site for HFI client U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Writing/editing included:
• Text for nine web pages
• Initial batch of 125 database records on federal government social assistance programs and information sources
• Online dictionary of terms
• Content maintenance guidelines
• Project final report

History Associates Incorporated, Rockville, MD
     5/1999 - 12/2000
     Deputy Director, Information Resources Management Division

• Supervised staff of 10 archivists and records managers assigned to various in-house and on-site contract projects. Conducted staff interviews and performance reviws. Made hiring and staffing recommendations to division director.
• Wrote project proposals and contracts, interim and final reports, and contract correspondence.
• Met regularly with clients to discuss and assess progress toward project goals.
• Participated in management meetings. Liaised with company and division management to achieve short-, intermediate-, and long-term company goals.
• Developed budget estimates; tracked and reported on budget expenditures; made budgetary decisions for assigned projects.
• Wrote and edited division marketing materials including capabilities statements, client/project profiles, and sales brochures.
• Co-managed company web site, including content, coding, and branding/marketing decisions.

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skills and experience

Writing and Editing

Scientific and technical experience includes writing and editing reports for federal science programs, textbooks for trade apprentice programs, and research papers and annotated bibliographies on topics in psychiatry, physics, astronomy, biology, computers, and engineering.

Business experience includes writing and editing strategic plans, project proposals, and analytical reports for clients in the public, private, and non-profit sectors; writing and editing content for corporate and federal web sites; writing and editing meeting agendas and minutes, correspondence, and memoranda; writing articles for company newsletters; writing article-length business histories; and writing two entries in the forthcoming Encyclopedia of American Business History.

Features experience includes articles and columns for Aviation History, The Editorial Eye, Advancing Philanthropy, Georgetown Magazine, and Recreation News.

Editorial experience includes editing the Canton Connection and TPSS Co-operative Effort News newsletters, and serving as contributing editor to The Editorial Eye.

Historical experience includes chronologies, site histories, numerous research papers, a feature article on aviation history published in a national monthly periodical, and a published book review.

Research

Detailed knowledge of available resources related to science, technology, business, and history. Extensive experience conducting research in libraries, museums, archives, and manuscript repositories in the Washington, DC, area. Experience conducting long distance preliminary research via e mail, World Wide Web, online databases, telephone, and letter to repositories in the United States, England, Switzerland, and Australia.

Oral and Written Presentations

Experience providing briefings, orientations, training sessions, kick off meetings, strategy sessions, and progress reports to academic and business audiences using overheads and PowerPoint presentations. Skilled interviewer and reviewer.

Papers presented at the annual conferences of the Society of Historians of American Foreign Relations and the Symposium on the Maritime Archaeology and History of Hawaii and the Pacific.

Web Site Content and Design

Content manager for federal interagency working group web sites (contractor) and content/design for web site for a million-dollar company, including laying out and designing pages, writing and editing content, HTML coding, graphic design and layout, creating and testing links, performing functionality and usability testing, and reviewing site for currency.

Computer Skills

Operating system experience includes Mac OS X and Windows.

Writing and editing software experience includes MS Office (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint); Adobe Creative Suite 2 (Illustrator, Photoshop); Macromedia Dreamweaver MX and HomeSite; JASC Paint Shop Pro 6/7; ArcSoft PhotoStudio; and Adobe Acrobat.

Internet/World Wide Web software experience includes telnet and FTP protocols, all major browsers.

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educational history

MA, American History, University of Maryland, 1997
MLS, Archival Studies, University of Maryland, 1997
BA, Honors, Aviation History, Regis University, Denver, 1992

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professional memberships

Society for Technical Communication
National Coalition of Independent Scholars
Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators
The Writer's Center

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volunteer experience

Editor, Canton Connection, quarterly newsletter of the Canton Community Association Baltimore, MD, 2004-2005.

Editor, Cooperative Effort News, bimonthly newsletter of the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op, Takoma Park, MD, 2003-2004.

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awards

Grand Prize, 2001 John Southam Award for Excellence in Sailing Communication
Jerome and Dorothy Lemelson Fellowship, Smithsonian Museum of American History
Summer Intern, Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

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active voice:
solving your word problems

Paul Lagasse
Active Voice Writing and Editorial Services
Baltimore, Maryland
(410) 534-6662 (phone/fax)
www.avwrites.com