"Editor. Mom. Web geek."
All in good fun, but I am an editor/writer/researcher/content provider/Jill-of-all-editing-trades who started as a newspaper reporter 16 years ago. I've covered several beats in my time, including local government, police, education, planning and zoning, architecture, scandal and the mundane in Westchester County, N.Y., Des Moines, Iowa, Columbia and St. Joseph, Missouri, and various other places across the United States.
I gravitated toward editing after my first child was born, finding it difficult to chase down sources while typing on deadline, holding a baby and bottle, and using my shoulder to hold a phone while interviewing yet another source. (Yes, I really did this. It wasn't pretty. The story was completed on deadline and the baby was fed, though.)
Editing has made me a more precise writer. Web content producing has forced me to be a more concise writer. My 2,000-word personality profiles won't fit in 140-character tweets, but a tease to the longer story will work on Twitter.
I have a diverse range, as you can see from my profile. There are very few topics I won't tackle. I grew up a farm kid in Missouri wine country; I understand agriculture, horticulture and a bit about wine and vinting. I love planning and zoning, and I am a writer among a family of engineers, computer programmers and geotechnical wonks. I learned the jargon, concepts and trends to make polite dinner conversation. I'm a mom of three who has moderated mom chat boards. I can get ANYONE to play nice, from chat board participants to testy authors.
I'm a member in good standing of Texas Interactive and the American Copy Editors Society. A member of the mythical "Missouri Mafia," I am a University of Missouri School of Journalism graduate, where I covered local politics and the University of Missouri System for the Columbia Missourian. I'm fairly sure I was one of a select few students then-Chancellor Charles Kiesler not only knew by name, but also was very happy to see graduate.
A Missouri native now transplanted in San Antonio, Texas, I spend my spare time gardening, reading, hiking and biking with my children and husband and obsessing about the Missouri Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals.
Track me down:
Professional Memberships:
• Texas Interactive
• American Copy Editors Society
• College and University Editors Listserv
• Missouri Mafia
• Association of Online Content Moderators
