Paid Positions

Publishing and Editorial

Managing Editor, Environment Abstracts

LexisNexis, Bethesda, MD. January 2008 to Current

In my role as Managing Editor of Environment Abstracts, I am responsible for the production of two monthly publications. The publication consists of one volume of scientific abstracts and another volume of corresponding indexing. Since most of the content creation is done by an offshore vendor, my primary responsibilities are: to work closely with other internal resources to ensure the timely acquisition and delivery of content to the vendor; identify time and cost saving opportunities; and to implement new production processes to achieve these savings.

Product Manager

LexisNexis, Bethesda, MD. February 2006 to Current

As Project Manager of two publication series, British Documents on Foreign Affairs and Landmark Briefs and Arguments, I am responsible for managing the production of twenty-four books per year. I create the production schedule for each product to ensure efficient use of internal and external resources and to ensure revenue projections are met. I coordinate the acquisition of documents and editorial work product from freelance editors and other contractors. After receipt of the content, I coordinate the workflow through our various internal processes. Additionally, I am responsible for copyediting, proofreading, and formatting the content before transmission to the printer.
Since my promotion to Project Manager, I have been responsible for numerous improvements to our production processes. I restructured the production cycle for British Documents to more effectively utilize our internal resources. This improvement decreased the production cycle by almost four months. I have also implemented a digital acquisition process that will save almost a month and a half of production time. I implemented a change to the Landmark Briefs production process so that formatting work, which had previously been outsourced, is now completed in-house. This change both decreased the production cost for the series and allowed closer oversight of the final product.

Editorial Content Analyst

LexisNexis, Bethesda, MD. October 2005 to Current

In my role as Editorial Content Analyst, I primarily abstract and index historical content for publication. In addition to abstracting and indexing, I proofread, copyedit, and format the final product before publication. Much of the historical content that I am responsible for is from microfilm collections. In addition to this work, I have twice been asked to help other projects meet their deadlines. In both cases, I extensively used content management systems to complete these tasks. While both of the systems were proprietary, the more robust of the two was built upon the Documentum platform, an enterprise content management system.
During my time as an Editorial Content Analyst, I made one significant improvement to our production process. On my recommendation, our department ceased to receive content on microfilm and began receiving content in PDF files. This improvement has increased efficiency by 20%.

Restaurant

Server

Rene’s Steakhouse, Greenville, SC. July 2003–July 2005.

Rene’s was a small, white linen restaurant focused on exceptional service. Our restaurant was known for its magnificent steaks, table side presentations and a complete wine list. As a server, I not only handled all aspects of our guests’ visit, but also encouraged and developed new employees and fostered a sense of team unity. I was given the additional responsibility of planning large events, directing private parties and banquets, and working closely with management to lower costs and increase customer satisfaction.

Trio Brick Oven Café, Greenville, SC. May 2002–July 2003.

Trio is a fast-paced casual dining restaurant. During my employment at Trio, I provided exceptional service to all guests, both in the dining room and in the bar area. I was responsible for entry-level management responsibilities, including training new employees and management duties associated with the bar. I consistently helped provide complete customer service through teamwork and leadership.

The Dining Room at Osprey Point, Kiawah Island, SC. May 2001–August 2001.

The Dining Room was an exclusive 17-table restaurant located outside Charleston. Osprey Point was my first experience in a restaurant. I worked closely with the A.M. and P.M. managers to assure fabulous service for the members and guests. I was responsible for the opening of the restaurant and ensured seamless transitions between breakfast, lunch and dinner.