I am a veteran writer and editor whose professional journey has been wholly — and joyfully — focused on communication.

My career began with the unique opportunity to be part of a startup, Mercer University Press. As managing editor, I oversaw the work of the general and journal editors. I also edited and acquired books in a variety of fields, principally Southern history, philosophy, and religion. It is there that I first linked arms with “The Chicago Manual of Style,” which remains my first love, though I have “strayed” by going on to master AP and APA style as well.

After nine years at Mercer, I joined Atlanta’s Emory University in what was then the publications office. I went on to lead that office as director, working with many clients in offices across campus to create a range of marketing materials — from viewbooks and posters to flyers and postcards. I also edited and wrote marketing copy, first for print and later for the web, with a focus on undergraduate admission materials and executive communication as well as a host of high-profile, special projects.

For many years, I led the staff of, and wrote for, the award-winning Emory Magazine, the university’s chief alumni magazine. Toward the end of my 32-year career, I supervised a group of writers and was myself the lead humanities editor contributing to the Emory News Center and Emory Report, the faculty/staff ebulletin.

Since retiring in 2024, I serve clients with a range of writing and editorial needs, from dissertations and scholarly books to websites and novels.

And all these years in, I am as smitten with language and its power as ever.