Experience & Skills Overview

Over 25 years' experience in technical writing and product documentation, with a focus on proposal writing, grant and contract management, content development, and knowledge management. Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP) trained in RFP processes and best practices; also certified in IT project management and ITIL release and control. Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to work under tight deadlines while maintaining a positive attitude and bringing disparate team members together into a unified focus. Proposal development expertise communicating to employer, health plan, and government clients at all levels in health care, information technology, telecommunications, telemedicine, and staffing verticals. Successful at designing and implementing new processes and procedures across diverse business models.

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Areas of expertise include:

• Content Database Design & Management

• Proposal Writing & Editing

• Knowledge Management

• Proposal Management

• Technical Writing & Editing

• Subject Matter Expert Interviewing

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Work History

WRITING BENCH CONSULTING

Owner/Principal Consultant                                                                                                                October 2008 – Present

Independent business development and funding acquisition contracts for various clients and projects, including commercial and nonprofit resource development. Product proposals, technical and sales content generation, grant writing, and opportunity assessments.

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ALE USA INC. (Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise)

Bids & Proposals Manager/Cooperative Purchasing Coordinator                                                   October 2013 – December 2016

Develop responses to RFx opportunities, content for proposals and marketing materials. Lead opportunity qualification efforts (go/no-go decisions). Manage state and local government contract bids and renewals. Consulted for first year; full-time employee from October 2014-December 2016.

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HEALTHWAYS

Proposal Manager                                                                                                                                  March 2007 – October 2008

Manage efforts of writers and direct project teams with members from sales, contracting, finance, information technology, and clinical and product development on short-deadline documentation and marketing projects. Promoted twice in two years; also served as Strategic Proposal Developer and Knowledgebase Administrator.

• Responsible for producing higher-than-average forward movement in the sales process; 57% of proposals developed resulted in an invitation to the finalist presentation.

• Contributed towards $11.5M of new and up-sell business.

• Interview SMEs, develop content, assist in the formulation of strategy for each response.

• Edit team members’ early drafts/final documents, administer SharePoint knowledgebase.

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Change Manager                                                                                                                                     September 2003 – February 2007

Created department and implemented company-wide change control processes to address the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Section 404 for enterprise systems. Worked closely with internal and external audit.

• Developed auditable enterprise level controls by implementing ITIL Change, Configuration, and Release Management. Achieved zero management exceptions through three years of external audits.

• Proposed and managed the development and implementation of a web-based interface enabling staff to report clinical application bugs, reducing potential licensing costs by over $100,000 and simplifying clinicians’ process of submitting and tracking change requests.

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Business Analyst/Quality Assurance Analyst                                                                                      August 2002 – September 2003

Performed requirements gathering and documentation for new .NET software product. Served variously as project manager, business/systems analyst, and test lead. Managed a team of six performing functional and integration testing with Compuware automated scripting tools.

• Designed software; focused on administration, security, and reporting modules.

• Interview SMEs and end-users; develop functional/technical specifications, use cases, workflows.

• Designed, developed, and managed testing and project plans; served as risk officer for a $4MM project.

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FISI*MADISON FINANCIAL (Progeny Marketing)

Manager, IT Quality Assurance                                                                                                              1999 - 2002

Created new Quality Assurance department for a 40-member development shop and implemented basic change management methodology. Managed Y2K and corporate/division merger testing teams.

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CORD LOGISTICS, A DIVISION OF CARDINAL HEALTH

IT Training Manager                                                                                                                                1998 - 1999

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METRO INFORMATION SYSTEMS

Technical Writing Consultant                                                                                                                 1998

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WILLOWBROOK HOME HEALTH CARE     

Information Systems Coordinator, Trainer                                                                                           1992 - 1998

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Professional Development

• Member, Association of Proposal Management Professionals, APMP.org

• Member, Health Care Working Group, intelligence.healthcare

• Past Programs VP, MidTenn Chapter, Society for Technical Communication, STC.org

• Past State Representative (TN), Grant Professionals Association, GrantProfessionals.org

• Founding Communications Secretary, Nashville Local Interest Group, itsmfUSA

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Education

• East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN – Bachelor of Arts

• Volunteer State Community College, Gallatin, TN – Associate of Science

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Certifications

• Association of Proposal Management Professionals – APMP Foundation Level Certification

• ITIL 2.0 – Practitioner Certificate in Release & Control, Foundation Certificate in IT Service Mgmt

• Borland Software – Certified StarTeam Administrator

• Project Management Leadership Group – Certified IT Project Manager

• Raskasky Group – Basic & Advanced Computer System Validation in a Regulatory Environment