Elizabeth L. Kent

E-Portfolio

Extensive experience in writing complex subject matter for different audiences to meet internal and industry standards. Managed development and coordinated production of up to six books and four help systems simultaneously, delivering them on schedule.

Experience

DataDirect Technologies, a Progress Software company
Sykes Enterprises, Inc.
Short-term Contracts
Unisys
CardioSearch
Warner Lambert
Winning Laboratories
Pharmacopathics Research Laboratories

(1997-present)

Senior Technical Writer
DataDirect Technologies (formerly INTERSOLV and MERANT), a Progress Software company
Morrisville, NC

Write, edit, and revise online and print user and reference manuals for products using ODBC, JDBC, ADO, and ADO.NET data access standards.
Developing the EDD and conversion tables to convert the department's FrameMaker files to Structured FrameMaker. This task includes creating an XSLT stylesheet to convert the structured files into clean XML that can be used in Help2 help projects.
Convert online manuals to HTML format to support Web-based product delivery.
Create online Windows help, HTML Help, WebWorks Help, and dynamic embedded help for ADO.NET.
Write and edit white papers, marketing collateral, and technical briefs.
Drafted code examples for ADO.NET user's guide.
Revised the internal Style Guide for use by other departments. Developed materials and taught Writing Skills class on consiseness and writing business email.

Awards

STC Certificate of Achievement for DataDirect Product Direction Library, a series of brochures describing features of the product line.
Received Outstanding Performance award for researching, analyzing, and preparing missing ADO information from a nominally minor release.
STC Certificate of Achievement for online User's Guide for WebDBLink, a Web-based tool that provided business-to-business database connectivity in a secure Internet environment.

(1992-1997)

Senior Technical Writer
Sykes Enterprises Incorporated
Cary, NC

Wrote and tested the Users Handbooks for PC Server 320 and PC Server 520. Maintained and updated the manuals through two hardware updates. Prepared a draft of a Users Handbook for an unannounced PC Server product. Performed peer and production reviews for other writers.
Wrote, tested, and indexed hardware maintenance manual for the ThinkPad 750.
Worked with technical staff to create and revise the guidelines in the reference section of the CUA user interface reference manual. Indexed two high-level chapters and the 350 page reference section. Tracked technical changes and maintained an appendix that detailed differences from the previous release. Maintained data base to track documentation problems and report statistics on status.

(1991 -1992)

Senior Technical Writer
Contract Writing Assignments
Research Triangle Park, NC

Technical and copy editing on government and commercial proposals
Revised and edited boilerplate text for proposals.
Revised and indexed a 400-page manual for an SNA internetworking product.

(1985-1991)

Senior Product Information Analyst
Unisys (Burroughs) Corporation
Camarillo, CA (7/87 to 11/91)

Developed text for on-line help system for operating system utility and for status codes documentation. Wrote operating system manuals for programmers and general audiences.
Ported five manuals (1500 pages) from desktop publishing to on-line search and retrieval format, on time, under intense deadline pressure.
Audited application screens for CUA compliance.

Product Information Analyst Flemington, NJ (3/85 to 6/87)

Audited application screens for CUA compliance.
Tested manuals for quality and usability issues.
Coordinated documentation configuration management.
Revised manuals for file transfer product, and for X.25 and 3270 terminal emulator products.

Awards

Company bonus and STC Certificate of Achievement for installation manual for a multi-tasking operating system.
Received company Achievement Award for developing usability testing procedures for manuals.
Received two company Achievement Awards for improving content and organization of a key operating system manual.

(1983 - 1984)

Associate Quality Engineer
CardioSearch
Somerville, NJ

Wrote material specifications and operating procedures to meet GMP requirements for a medical device.
Developed and maintained three key control programs for regulatory control.

(1979 -1983)

Document Control Analyst
Pfizer, Inc. (formerly Warner-Lambert Company)
Anaheim, CA

Documented manufacturing and traceability procedures.
Audited documentation and manufacturing operations to ensure compliance to federal and state regulatory requirements.

(1977-1979)

1977-1979 Laboratory Analyst
Winning Laboratories
Irvine, CA

Reviewed product documentation for compliance to customer specifications and governmental requirements.
Tested products for quality and content.

(1972-1977)

Senior Research Technician
Pharmacopathics Research Laboratories
Laurel, MD

Liaison for a major government contract for five years.
Wrote reports to document treatment and results of numerous experiments.
Assisted in drawing up protocols and an employee handbook.

Memberships

Senior Member Society for Technical Communication

Judge in 1998 Online Competition
Entries Manager of the 1999 Online Publications Competition committee; Judge in 1999 Online Competition
Entries Manager of the 2000 Online Publications Competition committee
Entries Manager of the 2001 Online Publications Competition committee
Judge and committee member for the 2002 Online Publications Competition
Judge and committee member for the 2003 Online Publications Competition
Committee member for the 2004 Online Publications Competition
Assistant to the chair for the 2005 Technical Publications Competition
STC Carolina Chapter Volunteer of the Quarter Winter 2004

Member Triangle .NET Users Group, ADO.NET SIG, SQL SIG

Education and Training

B.S. Animal Science

University of Maryland, College Park

Masters in English, concentration in Professional Technical Communications. December 2004

East Carolina University, Greenville, NC. Nominated as Outstanding Graduate Student in English Department.

Research Techniques
Role of Computers in Communications. Papers focussed on the use of XML in documentation.
Single-sourcing Browser-based Help(Experiential Internship project). My internship project involved converting FrameMaker files to HTML help, using WebWorks Publisher. The more challenging aspects were creating pop-up windows and multivolume help.
Advanced Writing for Business. Projects included brochures on dysphagia in dialysis patients and on preventing falls by seniors. Member of the team developing the e-Greene web site, for Greene County, NC.
Technical Editing. Major project was a prototype of a business Web site.
Proposal and Grant Writing. Prepared a letter grant request to get funds for the library of Fuller Magnet Elementary School, where some of the nonfiction books date back as far as 42 years.
Teaching Technical Writing. Created two weblogs to support the STC Competition Committee 2003. The purpose of the project was to learn methods of establishing community with sources who are separated geographically.
Theories of Technical Communications. Researched how constructivism can be used to improve computer documentation.
Issues in Communication: Secondary Research Methods. Researched content reuse and single-sourcing. Projects for the class included an annotated bibliography and an analysis of current trends.
Electronic Writing and Publishing. Continued development of information on content reuse and single-sourcing, repurposing an annotated bibliography into a web site.
Usability Studies. Researched usability issues for the redesign of a business Web site.

Writing

Information Mapping, Creating Web Pages with HTML, Using Multimedia in Online Instruction, Role of Computers in Communications

Computer

Telecommunications, Computer Graphics, UNIX, C++, CTOS, XML

CBTs

Object Oriented Design
Relational Database Principles
Introduction to SQL Programming
SQL*Plus Fundamentals
SQL Programming: Database Queries
SQL Programming: Database Programming
Overview of Java
JDBC
XML

Quality

Total Quality Management

Computer Tools

Software: FrameMaker (5, 6, and 7.1), Adobe Acrobat (Catalog, Distiller, Exchange), IxGen, RoboHelp, RoboHelp HTML, Office XP, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Works, Microsoft Access, Microsoft FrontPage, Netscape Composer, Paint Shop Pro, QuickTime, WebWorks Publisher, PVCS Version Manager, BookMaster, HTML, XML, NDoc, FAR, Document! X, Visual Studio .NET
O/S: Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98, Windows 95, Windows 3.1, Windows NT 4.0, OS/2
Hardware: IBM PC, Macintosh

Webmaster: Elizabeth Kent

Updated: 04/06/2006