• Led project to publish over 400 manuals on internal website and external support site, satisfying users by providing additional access to manuals and more frequent updates.

• Helped create a team to analyze support calls and write frequently-asked questions (FAQs), resulting in over $1 million annual cost-avoidance in handling support calls.

• Participated in a team to build a database management system for automating Tech Pubs processes, to support a 70% increase in the number of manuals released in 1 year. (See description on Documentum website.)

"You have been relentless in meeting the needs of our customers. When a challenge presents itself, you face it with courage and display a leadership that motivates others.”

—Ray Bingham
Cadence CEO
from text of
President’s Club Award, 2000

“Excellent!!! You are right on target. It has ALWAYS been a major pain to search. This format of drilling down to a set of selectable items lets me create a better search criteria.”

—Derrick Carson
Marketing mgr.
re Cadence online library, 2001

• Led Tech Pubs presence at annual Cadence User Group conferences. Gave demos and presentations, administered surveys to improve manuals, analyzed data, summarized results to management. Managed booth staff, equipment, created print collateral.

• Participated in demo and training booths for real-time collaboration tools at Oracle World. Led demos, answered questions, interviewed users, provided technical support.

• Answered customer questions about Oracle and Cadence products, wrote faqs. Helped design online feedback tool and defined feedback response processes at Cadence.

• Produced online and printed user guides, reference manuals, setup guides, help, websites, and faqs for novice to experienced users on a wide range of topics:
  • EDA tools: IC layout • PCB design • Design database admin. • FPGAs
  • Business tools: Web conferencing • Instant messaging • Database management •  Accounting • Statistical forecasting
  • Hardware: EDA workstations • Inventory control tools

• Designed, wrote, and produced printed quick reference cards, brochures, and flyers.

• Created self-paced tutorials for non-technical users of web conferencing and instant messaging tools, and technical users of custom IC design products.

• Developed print and video courses to train customers about online documentation; led training classes for Cadence engineers and wrote internal documentation describing APIs and procedures for linking software tools to online manuals.

• Write and design brochures and programs pro bono for non-profit music groups.
• Design, write, and publish The Voice, bi-annual newsletter for Schola Cantorum; co-designer of Schola Cantorum's website (www.scholacantorum.org).
• Write program notes for Redwood Symphony (www.barbwired.com/barbweb/programs).

• Presented paper, "Do Users Use a User Guide?" at 2004 STC National Conference.
• Presented paper, "When Users Hate Help," with JoAnn Hackos of Comtech Services at 2001 STC National Conference.
• STC Northern California Distinguished Award for Online Books in 1998.
• STC Northern California Awards of Excellence (2002, 1993, 1992), Achievement (1997), and Merit (1992) for hardcopy and online manuals.

Numerous Cadence Design Systems service awards, including:

• 2002: Winning with Teamwork Award for improving SourceLink interface
• 2000: Cadence President’s Club Award for customer advocacy
• 1995: Special Achievement Award for helping to create a new online doc system

• 1982: Completed Master of Journalism coursework, University of California, Berkeley
  Dent Hayes Robert journalism scholarship

• 1979: Bachelor of Arts degree in English, University of California, Santa Barbara
  Exchange student at Georg-August Universität, Göttingen, Germany
  Phi Beta Kappa honors