PROFESSIONAL GOAL

To use my communications and creative skills to enable individuals and organizations to thrive and grow.

      QUALIFICATIONS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Contributor to many national publications, including: The Farmers' Almanac, Good Housekeeping, Reader's Digest, Girl's Life, The Lutheran, Auctioneer, HR, Guideposts for Kids, Construction Equipment Guide, Whispers From Heaven, and Snow Angels, an anthology published by Hallmark Cards as well as many other publications, including Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal, New Holland News, Green Profits, The Sunday News, Lancaster News, The Hershey Chronicle, The Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal, and The Elizabethtown Chronicle.

Contributor to several leading websites, including Guideposts For Kids and Stateline.Org, the news service sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Coordinator of several successful nationwide publicity campaigns for a wide variety of books.

Creator and author of The Moo-dem, an internet-savvy column for Farmshine, a national weekly agricultural magazine.

Coordinator and editor of publications for several non-profit healthcare-related organizations.

Creator of effective, innovative and award-winning advertising as well as cost-effective brochures, flyers, newsletters, press materials and other promotional pieces for a variety of diverse organizations, including non-profits, public utilities, restaurants, and direct-mail firms.

Author of The Beatles, an informal history of the musical group, the first e-biography of The Beatles.

Co-author of an award-winning ten-year retrospective on Hurricane Agnes while a staff writer with The Wilkes-Barre Times Leader.

Contributor to the best-selling book, The People’s Almanac, edited by Irving Wallace.

      WORK HISTORY

 July 2002 - Present
Contract Editor and Freelancer
Lititz, PA
Writes for Fee Income Growth Strategies and a host of other banking/financial publications of Siefer Consultants, Storm Lake, IA. Coordinates publicity for Gilead Enterprises, Ephrata, PA, a faith-based healthcare consulting firm Contributes to Construction Equipment Guide, Lancaster Intelligencer-Journal, Lancaster Sunday News, Lebanon Daily News, Eastern Pennsylvania Business Journal and several other publications.

 September 2001 - July 2002
Editor ~ Progressive Business Publications
Malvern, PA
Researched, developed, wrote, and edited an 8-page national bi-weekly newsletter, What's Working in Credit and Collections for credit management professionals. Also proofread and wrote other articles for the firm's other business-to-business newsletters.

 May 2000 - September 2001
Newsletter Editor ~ Washington Business Information, Inc.
Falls Church, VA
Researched, developed, wrote and edited Top Tips in Product Quality, a weekly newsletter for Quality Professionals. Also researched, wrote and developed prototypes for a other newsletter launches.

 October 1999 - March 2000
Director of Book Promotions ~ The Morehouse Group
Linglestown PA
Developed, coordinated and implemented national and regional publicity campaigns for books published by one of the leading religious publishing houses in the country. Worked with national media, including TV networks, cable television stations, major wire/internet news providers, other broadcast outlets, and national columnists and newspapers to insure widespread coverage for the new book titles. Developed and wrote copy for national advertising campaigns, brochures, direct mail pieces and catalogs. Worked directly with authors to assist them in effectively marketing books.

 March 1997 - August 1999
Senior Communications Officer ~ Lutheran Social Services
South Central PA
Coordinated publicity and media relations for a social ministry organization of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) with an annual budget in excess of $32 million whose programs include nursing homes, personal care homes, home health, hospice, childcare and retirement communities. Developed news releases, feature stories, printed materials, brochures, and special events to cost-effectively increase visibility of organization and its diverse offering of programs on a regional, state, national and international basis. Worked closely with media and program directors to promote campus-wide as well as organization-wide events.

 May 1993 - March 1997
Director of Communications ~ Lutheran Welfare Service
Northeastern PA
Developed and facilitated publicity and advertising for a human services/social ministry organization of the ELCA with an annual budget of $13 million. Was instrumental in launching three new publications and garnering extensive local and regional publicity for key programs. including the Weinberg House, an innovative residential hospice program and the Hospice Hundred, a seasonal fundraiser.

 June 1989 - May 1993
Director of Communications and Marketing ~ The Bloomsburg Hospital
Bloomsburg, PA
Created and coordinated publicity and advertising - print, radio, and outdoor - for a 125-bed hospital in rural central Pennsylvania. Developed an award-winning advertising campaign for the new Maternity Center that helped boost hospital revenues by 20 percent. Developed a similar campaign for MEDIC ONE, a new Advanced Cardiac Life Support unit, that enhanced relations with key providers.

 January 1976 - May 1989
Communications, Public Relations, Writing & Reporting Positions with a variety of organizations, including the American Trucking Association, the American Stock Exchange, the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader, and Scranton State General Hospital.