Journalism | info@jaydougherty.com
Overview
Technology Columnist / Public Speaker / Teacher
Highlights
- Featured technology columnist in newspapers around the world. Have
authored over 1,000 articles on technology for consumers. A small sampling of
articles is available
here.
- Managed teams of from five to ten writers, editors, and
training specialists for documentation, HTML, online help, and training
projects for major companies in the Internet and telecommunications
industries.
- Significant background in English teaching at the university and high school levels in
both the United
States and Germany.
- Taught popular computer applications to business professionals.
- Facile with myriad operating systems and applications, including Windows,
Mac, Linux/Unix, Word, WordPerfect, PowerPoint, FrameMaker, RoboHelp, Visio, PageMaker, Ventura,
Quark XPress, Photoshop, CorelDRAW, Illustrator, Articulate,
Captivate, Audition, MS Access, Excel, Dreamweaver, Expression Web, InDesign,
WordPress, Drupal, Artisteer.
- Good knowledge of HTML and Web site design, XML.
- Outstanding communications, leadership, and management skills.
Journalism and Technology Positions
Senior Technical Writer/Editor
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Rockville, Maryland
2/11 » Present
- Administer a multi-million dollar technical editing contract for the NRC. Responsibilities include coordinating editorial efforts, ensuring quality, approving changes to personnel, budgeting, contract administration, and invoicing.
- Edit public-facing technical documents to ensure grammatical correctness and adherence to stylistic standards. Style guides used include NRC's in-house style manual, the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) Style Manual, and the Chicago Manual of Style.
- Write procedural documents for internal use.
- Project officer certification.
- Security clearance level: L (secret).
Technology Columnist
German Press Agency (dpa), Berlin, Germany
8/94 » 6/11
- Wrote weekly technology features for dpa's English service.
- Initiated dpa's computer technology reporting service, which became one of the most popular features of this international news wire's
English-language offering.
- My articles appeared each week in many newspapers
around the world and were routinely translated into Spanish and other languages.
- Initiated the "computer helper" series of question-and-answer articles,
which became a weekly staple in dozens of newspapers around the world.
- Oversaw translation of technology articles from German into English.
- The German Press Agency dpa is one of the world's largest international
news wire services.
Senior Instructional Designer
Fannie Mae, Washington, D.C.
3/08 » 2/11
- Managed the educational offerings in the area of Investor Reporting.
- Designed and developed a range of online training materials (performance
support) and classroom materials for some of Fannie Mae's major desktop
applications for lenders.
- Received "hot performer" award after seven months at the company.
- Tools used: Adobe Captivate, Adobe Audition, Articulate, Word,
PowerPoint, among others.
Documentation Manager
Software AG, Reston, Virginia
2/01 » 2/08
- Managed a team of four to seven senior technical writers for the U.S.
research and development wing of Software AG, Inc.
- Responsible for staffing, evaluation of employees, scheduling, and other
managerial tasks.
- Trained employees in use of XML, documentation procedures, and software.
Documentation Team Leader
UUNET, Ashburn, Virginia
5/99 » 2/01
- Managed a team of six to nine senior technical writers, editors, and
training specialists for large-scale documentation, HTML, online help, and
training projects.
- Trained employees in use of HTML, documentation procedures, and
software.
- Worked with management on staffing needs.
Lead Writer / Program Support Manager
Convergys Corporation, Reston, Virginia
7/97 » 4/99
- Formerly Cincinnati Bell Information Systems (CBIS).
- Designed curricula and courseware for proprietary and off-the-shelf
software.
- Developed and wrote training materials for end users and developers.
- Promoted to program support manager position; responsibilities included
assisting clients in understanding and working with custom database
software.
Technical Trainer and Editorial Consultant
Tamaroff Associates (now Productivity Point), Washington, D.C.
3/97 » 7/97
- Taught classes in Word, Windows, and Web authoring.
- Training ability rated as "very good" and "polished."
Senior Editor and Technology Consultant
Alpha-Omega Services, Inc., Arlington, Virginia
6/93 » 8/97
- Managed editorial and desktop publishing teams during production of
large-scale documents for the World Bank, Alpha-Omega's largest client.
- Consulted with clients to determine their needs and priorities in both
document production and technology.
- Coordinated work between writers and editors.
- Oversaw the company's computer-related purchasing decisions.
- Created and implemented company Web sites.
- Managed and coordinated freelance editors.
- Documentation edited and desktop published included software manuals,
country studies, annual reports, technical documents, procurement
guidelines, and multi-volume books.
- Established a successful marketing campaign, which included creating and
maintaining marketing materials such as promotional brochures and
newsletters.
University and High School Teaching
Adjunct English Instructor
American University, Washington, D.C.
8/13 » 12/13
- Taught an evening course in college writing for the Department of Literature to students in American University's Washington Mentorship Program.
- I was responsible for designing the course, teaching it, grading papers, and attending selected faculty meetings.
- Created an online writing community to house and inspire student writing projects.
English Teacher
John F. Kennedy International High School, Berlin, Germany
8/90 » 6/93
- Taught English and advanced English to Germans and native English
speakers in grades 8, 10, 11, 12, and 13.
- Teaching performance was rated "outstanding" by an independent review
committee.
- Tenure granted after serving one year at the school.
Lecturer, Department of English
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Münster, Germany
4/89 » 7/90
- Designed and taught courses in advanced American language and
literature, culture, and German-English translation.
Instructor, Department of English
Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
4/88 » 3/89
- Designed and led courses in American literature and culture during the
tenure of a Fulbright fellowship in Berlin.
English Instructor
Central Texas College, Berlin, Germany
1/88 » 3/89
- Taught day and evening courses to adults in Business English and typing.
English Instructor
University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut
8/85 » 8/87
- Taught composition and literature during the course of my doctoral studies.
English Instructor
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Mainz, Germany
10/84 » 3/85
- As a teaching fellow in the exchange program between the universities of Maryland and Mainz, I led courses in language and literature in conjunction with Prof. Dr. Winfried Herget's lectures on early American literature.
English Instructor
University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
8/82 » 8/84
- Taught composition, literature, and creative writing while working
toward my M.A.
Online Initiatives
- Created PhotoCamel (2005), which became one of the
Web's largest communities of professional and enthusiast photographers under my direction. Sold in 2012. Now defunct.
- Created several other Web sites, including one for use as a class project by my composition students at American University.
Education
A.B.D., English
University of Connecticut, Storrs, 1987
Completed all coursework and 16-hour comprehensive written and oral
examinations toward Ph.D degree.
G.P.A.: 3.9.
M.A., English, Pedagogy
University of Maryland, College Park, 1984
Special concentrations in teaching, writing, editing, publishing.
G.P.A.: 3.9.
B.A., English, Journalism
University of Maryland, College Park, 1982
Undergraduate major subject G.P.A.: 4.0; overall G.P.A.: 3.8.
Continuing Education
- Meeting the Needs of the Student through Differentiated Instruction (2024)
- Transforming Instruction Through the Integration of Web-Based Resources (2024)
- Activating the Voice of the Student Through Digital Tools, 2020
- Teaching Students in Blended Classrooms, 2020
- Using Digital Portfolios to Foster Student Learning, 2019
- Digital Citizenship, 2015
- Learning and Teaching with Web 2.0 Tools, 2015
- Innovations in e-Learning, 2010
- Inclusion of Special Needs Student Populations, 2010
- Educational Psychology, 2010
- Adobe Flash CS4, 2009
- Innovations in e-Learning, 2009
- Adolescent Psychology, 2009
- Teaching Methods, 2008
- Teaching Reading II, 2008
- Teaching Reading, 2004
- Educational Assessment, 2004
Academic Awards
- Fulbright Fellowship to Germany, 1987
- Phi Beta Kappa, 1982
- Phi Kappa Phi (National Honor Society), 1982
- Various other awards: graduated cum laude (B.A), with honors in English,
1982; Writer's Fellowship Monetary Award, University of Connecticut, 1986;
teaching assistantship awards, Universities of Maryland and Connecticut,
1982-87; multiple Dean's List appearances.
Publications
Click here for samples.
Summary: Academic articles, over a thousand newspaper articles (mostly on
technology), book reviews, interviews, creative writing.
Languages
English (expert), German (fluent), French (rudimentary).
References
Available upon request.
Keywords
Documentation Team Leader, Manager, Technical Documentation, Technical
Writer, Instructional Designer, Technical Editor, Training, Technical Trainer, Program Support,
Director, Manager, Software Tester, Public Relations, International Public
Relations, PR, Team Leader, Journalist, Journalism, Training and Documentation Manager, Desktop
Publishing, RoboHELP, Online Help, Word, FrameMaker, Rational ClearCase,
ClearQuest, Visio, PageMaker, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Office, Windows, Telecommunications, Internet, Language
Instructor, HTML, XML