Work
Experience
2018-PRESENT
DAD/TECHNICAL COMMUNICATOR
One of the more unexpected lessons I've learned from being a dad is how to be a better technical communicator. A big part of technical communication is knowing your audience, and how to reach them at their level. This may come as news to some of you, but KIDS DON'T KNOW A WHOLE LOT. Through no fault of their own really. They just don't have a lot of life experience. Spending time with my son forces me to see the world through his eyes and figure out how to explain things in a simple way he can understand, each and every day. One such example is when I recently taught him the wonders of a vending machine.
2022-2024
TECHNICAL WRITER
In this role, I worked with Subject Matter Experts and fellow members of our Documentation Team to develop end-user documentation for our company's software. This job involved project management, research, analysis, collaboration, and user testing. I really loved this role, and learned a lot while I was there. Our documentation was created in Confluence, and we used JIRA for issue tracking. We worked to create conceptual overviews, business user procedures, and yes, even tables. Unlike Tim Robinson's disgruntled Driver's Ed instructor, I was happy to take any questions about the tables!
2015-2021
CLIENT OPERATIONS MANAGER
As a Client Operations Manager, you're the first point of contact when your clients are having a software issue. Like Tom Symkowski of Office Space fame, we'd talk to the clients so the engineers didn't have to! Being a people person and able to talk someone off a cliff comes in handy. A large part of the job was "translating" info from one group to another, so it was great training for a Technical Writer role. The job involved a lot of research, collaboration, and relationship building. Clients needed to trust that you were looking out for their best interests, and internal teams needed to know you weren't just throwing work over the wall at them.
2001-2014
MUTUAL FUND ACCOUNTANT
I held various fund accounting roles during my time at State Street. My final role was as a Client Operations Manager in an Oversight Center of Excellence. We were responsible for reviewing the work of other teams, and finalizing Net Asset Values. There are numerous daily deadlines in fund accounting, so it can be extremely hectic. Issues inevitably pop up, so you're often "putting out fires". Pictured at right is me on a typical day. Having a sense of humor (even a bad one) helps get you through the days.
Education
Certifications
Resume
Syracuse University
Newhouse School of Public Communications Bachelor's Degree: Advertising Management
Minor: Psychology
Society for Technical Communication
TechComm Fundamentals Bootcamp
PDF of my resume
Skills
& Expertise
Work can be tough. I understand that. Most people, if given the choice, would rather be off doing other things. I try not to make the workday harder on my managers, or fellow employees. I come in, try hard, and have a good attitude. For me, having someone you enjoy working with helps makes the days easier. I can't say everyone I've ever worked with always enjoyed working with me, but I feel confident saying that the overwhelming majority did.