I'm a technical writer and documentation specialist who works with financial services and regulated operations. I write the standard operating procedures, process documentation, and knowledge-continuity materials that organizations depend on when the work not only has to be correct, but also usable under time and regulatory pressure.
I earned my Bachelors Degree from Michigan State University, and also have a Certification in Advanced Design Thinking from IDEO U.
Most documentation failures happen for the same reason bad software fails: Nobody checked whether the person on the other end could actually use it. Documentation that's technically accurate and complete, but unusable in the context in which someone needs it is less than worthless—it's a liability that can put your business at a huge financial or legal risk.
I got my start as a traditional technical writer, creating procedures, style guides, and information architecture for mortgage lending and treasury management systems. Then I moved into user experience analysis and design, where I researched how people work inside insurance, retirement, and employee-benefits orgs to produce online documentation that meets modern usability standards. Each discipline sharpens the other: Technical writing structures information so someone can act on it under pressure, while UX enables and verifies that they actually can, under real-world pressures and constraints. I interview users and observe how they actually do the work, including the exceptions and workarounds nobody thinks to mention, instead of just documenting the idealized version in a process owner's head.
Every engagement starts with the same question: How does this actually work today?
I work closely with subject matter experts and the front-line personnel who do the work, observe where it moves and where it stalls, and map what I find—including the parts that don't appear in any existing procedure. Then I structure the result so it stays useful: Clear standards, sensible information architecture, and formats your team can maintain after I'm gone. The goal is to produce usable documentation that answers the questions someone has, at the moment they have it.
I’ve worked with large financial services companies in both full-time and contract positions:
Wachovia: Technical Writer, Documentation Project Manager
Wells Fargo: Technical Writer, CX Interaction Design Lead
AXA/Equitable: User Experience Analyst, Process Analyst
I’ve also done independent documentation and design consulting for small and medium-sized businesses, non-profits, and community organizations.
I use a range of tools and techniques that have been proven to deliver results for businesses large, small, local, multinational, and everywhere in between. Over the years I’ve learned and used more than I can count; here are the ones I’ve found particularly useful and rely on the most:
Documentation and content:
Confluence, SharePoint, Markdown, Git/GitHub, technical writing and editing, style guides, content strategy
Research and analysis:
Contextual inquiry, SME interviews, workflow analysis, usability testing, journey mapping, information architecture
Process and diagramming:
BPMN, Visio, Miro
Prototyping and design:
Figma, Axure RP, Photoshop, Illustrator
Learning and development:
Articulate Storyline
Web:
HTML/CSS, Webflow, WordPress
I spend as much time outside as I can, usually hiking, snowshoeing, or kayaking depending on what the weather in Upstate New York decides to do that weekend. I play a few instruments and write and perform acoustic songs. I also paint watercolor landscapes, and have taught beginner watercolor classes at the Liverpool Art Center near Syracuse.
Good documentation requires an understanding of both regulatory reality and of how people actually do the work. Let's talk about what clearer documentation could look like for your organization.
Available for remote contract engagements.
