Experience
Focus. Joel Spolsky says it so well. He's speaking about usability, but what he says applies equally well to everything we do that touches our users: "Usability, fundamentally, is a matter of bringing a bit of human rights into the world of computer-human interaction.… You have daily opportunities to show respect for humanity even with the most mundane software.… By focusing on usability, you show your respect for the happiness of the people who run your code."
– Joel Spolsky, User Interface Design for Programmers
Associate Principal, Online Sales & Operations (Consumer) Google (11/2007 - present). Shared services.
Senior Strategist, Online Sales & Operations (Consumer), Google (6/2006 - 10/2007). Specializing in our online help presentation.
Technical Writer, Engineering (Google SketchUp), Google (3/2006 - 5/2006). Specializing in online help.
Knowledge Base Specialist, @Last Software, creators of SketchUp (1/2006 - 2/2006).
Technical Communications Manager, ZOLL Data Systems/Pinpoint Technologies (6/1999 - 12/2005). We created a wide variety of print and online documentation for a suite of products ranging from computer-aided dispatch and medical billing to mobile data communication and resuscitation data management. I also worked on our community forums and knowledge base projects, and developed a Web-based training program and created the content for it.
Data Analyst and On-site Imports Representative to IBM, Nippon Express USA (10/1996 - 9/1998). Designed, implemented, documented, and maintained several spreadsheet applications used throughout the company. Presented regular progress reports and milestone updates to IBM project managers.
Client Support Manager, Intelligent Decision Technologies (11/1994 - 5/1996). My responsibilities at this engineering consulting and software development firm also included accounting, documentation, and computer systems management.
Co-manager, Chidvilas, a nonprofit book distributor/publisher (8/1990 - 10/1994). My responsibilities also included accounting, customer service, marketing, DTP, and computer systems management.
A Working World Tour (the 1980's). From Boston to Maui, Germany to India, and several places in between, a decade of exploring the world and myself. At various times I worked as a bookkeeper, bartender, software consultant, and apple picker; whatever it took to fulfill my dream of experiencing a bit of the world.