experience
To read the AP style version of this resume, click here.
Freelance Proofreader and Copyeditor, Penguin-Random House, February 2008 to present. Proofread and copyedit fiction and nonfiction titles for multiple divisions of this book publisher. Accomplishments include:
Editing more than 100 books, including those by Sophie Kinsella, Allison Pataki, and Alan Bradley
Proficiency in the Chicago Manual of Style
Freelance Editor, October 2018 to present. Clients have included Arnold Ventures, Eater, Foreign Policy, the Police Executive Research Forum, Red Havas, the University of Houston, the University of Virginia, Virginia Magazine, and the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism.
Freelance Writer, October 2018 to present. Clients have included Arnold Ventures, the Police Executive Research Forum, Red Havas, and the Vera Institute of Justice.
Freelance Designer, October 2018 to present. Clients have included the Police Executive Research Forum, the University of Houston, and the Vera Institute of Justice.
Homepage Editor, POLITICO, March 2015 to September 2018. Oversaw the homepage of this international news organization, led the newsroom in quality-control initiatives, and worked with developers to fix bugs and make improvements to the content management system. Top accomplishments included:
Managing the 2018 redesign of the homepage, including troubleshooting all new features, creating a user guide, working with developers to improve functionality, and training the staff
Instituting a workflow system for the copy desk to increase the speed at which online stories were copy edited
Enacting quality-control measures, including the development of a formal corrections policy, a comprehensive house stylebook, and how-to guides for all aspects of the production workflow
Saving the company tens of thousands of dollars by managing the way wire photographs were purchased
Pitching and getting approval for the purchase of a photo archive to easily access—and showcase—the work of staff photographers
Engaging readers by writing online news quizzes and photo essays
Copy Chief/Senior News Editor, The Washington Post Express, June 2012 to March 2015. Supervised the copy desk (and for the first year acted as the sole copy editor), oversaw the selection of news stories, wrote headlines, and designed pages for this weekday tabloid with a daily circulation of 180,000. Accomplishments included:
Changing the culture—by creating Express’s first corrections policy; sending out daily tips on grammar, style, and procedure; tracking page flow; and creating the mantra “dynamic spell-check saves lives”—so much that a D.C. blogger who had created an “Express Fail” section in his blog ridiculing the paper’s many errors admitted in March 2015, “It’s shocking to me that it’s been about 18 months since my last Express Fail post.”
Organizing workshops for staff members and creating a regular headline-writing contest to honor great work
Designer/Copy Editor, The Virginian-Pilot, Norfolk, Va., September 2005 to June 2012. Designed news pages; edited articles; wrote headlines; and created charts, maps, and illustrations at this newspaper with a daily circulation of 150,000.
Adjunct Professor, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Va., September 2009 to December 2010. Taught a Copy Editing and Document Design class for two semesters. Students gained skills in Associated Press style, grammar, Photoshop, and InDesign and became adept at fact-checking, editing down stories, and writing headlines.
Various Editing Positions, Star-News, Wilmington, N.C., June 2001 to August 2005.
Deputy News Editor (October 2003 to August 2005): Wire edited, designed news pages, wrote headlines, and edited copy
Features Editor (December 2002 to October 2003): Led and managed four reporters, four editors, one designer, two clerks, and a handful of stringers in putting out the daily features section, weekly entertainment magazine, and two weekly community sections
Assistant Features Editor (June 2001 to December 2002): Designed pages, edited copy, proofread sections, and wrote feature stories
Staff Writer Positions
The State Port Pilot, Southport, N.C. (March 1999 to June 2001)
The Daily News, Jacksonville, N.C. (September 1998 to March 1999)
Wilmington Star-News, Wilmington, N.C. (May 1997 to September 1998)
education + skills
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in May 1997. Double major in African and African American Studies.
skills
Very knowledgeable in Chicago Manual of Style, APA, and Associated Press usage
Proficient in Adobe Creative Suite, including Acrobat, InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, XD, and Dreamweaver
Proficient with the content management systems Brightspot and Squarespace; familiar with WordPress and Papermate
honors + awards + volunteer work
Poynter Leadership Academy for Women in Digital Media: One of twenty-eight journalists chosen from more than 600 applicants to attend the weeklong seminar in St. Petersburg, Florida (March 2018)
American Copy Editors Society headline-writing contest: Led The Washington Post Express staff to a second-place finish (2014) and a third-place finish (2013)
Accuracy Award: In-house award at The Virginian-Pilot (December 2010 and December 2007) for meticulous copy editing, catching errors in local and wire copy, and going above and beyond duties as a designer to maintain accuracy at the newspaper. Other in-house awards included Top Reader Blog for the first quarter of the year (March 2008) and the Urgency Award (July 2007)
National feature writing award: Third place, general feature, American Association of Sunday and Feature Editors Excellence in Feature Writing Contest (2003)
North Carolina Press Association awards: Led the Star-News features section to a third-place finish in its division (2004); received individual awards in feature writing, news feature writing, illustrations, and personality profiles (2000-2002)
SPJ national award: Julie Galvan Outstanding Graduate in Journalism Award, Society of Professional Journalists (1997)
Awards in college: Include the Jeff MacNelly Award for Excellence in Writing and a spot news writing award in the National William Randolph Hearst Competition (1997)
volunteer work
Volunteer with Theodore Roosevelt Island and Umstead Park parkruns (2019 to present; hiatus during the pandemic)
Raised more than $3,300 in two months for the Wounded Warrior Project (2011)
Volunteered weekly at the Foodbank of Southeastern Virginia (2008-2009)
Mentored for Team In Training (2007)
Led The Virginian-Pilot newsroom’s United Way campaign (2006)
Raised more than $7,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through the Team In Training program (2006)