Ashley Garst Email & Phone Number

Roswell, GA, US

Quebec City, Quebec, CA

Fremont, CA, US

• Manage content creation across multiple channels, including blog posts, social media posts, email copy, and landing page copy
• Evaluate client projects for all possible content angles
• Develop strategies for content development involving multiple stakeholders across departments
• Interview SMEs for insight and background information for content creation
• Gather sources, research, and additional background information to create top-notch content geared toward potential customers and their needs
• Write/edit blog (informative and instructional content) and insights (thought leadership, client success stories, and more) posts in accordance with technical writing/editing principles, including accurate structure.

Fremont, CA, US

• Established role as in-house staff writer, defining processes and standards for content and its development
• Gathered sources, research, and additional background information to create top-notch content geared toward potential customers and their needs
• Interviewed SMEs to learn more about projects, company best practices, and to inform thought leadership posts
• Created blog (informative and instructional content) and insights (thought leadership, client success stories, and more) posts in accordance with technical writing/editing principles, including accurate structure.
• Applied SEO best practices to content creation in order to align with digital marketing goals, driving traffic to the website
• Ghost-wrote thought leadership pieces for executive-level personnel

Falls Church, VA, US

• Developed new and updated existing standard operating procedures for various roles, tasks, and programs across the three branches of the Homeland Security Acquisition Institute (HSAI) and other manuals using subject.
• Ensured consistency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security brand and style across various types of documentation
• Provided comprehensive reviews, edits, and updates, with HSAI SME guidance, to the DHS Career Management Directives and Instructions
• Provided comprehensive reviews, edits, and updates to 15 career management guides, with HSAI SME guidance
• Conducted updates to HSAI product and services catalog
• Maintained a comprehensive library of HSAI documentation

North Charleston, South Carolina, US

• Researched, wrote, edited, and organized highly technical information into useful written and visual end user focused content with graphical images, flow charts, and diagrams
• Wrote individualized copy of analytical, interpretive, documentary, or promotional literature, and organized, entered, and compiled online help files to support U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) end users
• Assisted testing lead with development of software test plans, procedures, and reports, including researching software change logs and developing test procedures to validate functionality
• Maintains documentation and publications relating to users, systems, programming, operations, products, and services following government policy/instructions/standards for technical publications
• Interviewed SMEs to become familiar with USCG-specific product technology and development methods
• Organized and constructed documentation layouts with experienced using Microsoft Office programs such as Word, PowerPoint, and Visio

Falls Church, VA, US

• Supported External Communications for Strategic Communications Team (SCT)
• Edited thousands of pages of technical documentation per month for content, tone, style, grammar, and mechanics
• Applied requirements of multiple style guides as appropriate for each document
• Managed and updated SEVP Style Guide, including various appendices; managed and updated the Approved Content Index and the Proprietary Names List
• Developed new editorial documents to assist writers and ensure consistent program branding
• Developed, created, managed, and updated the SCT Editorial Wiki and SEVP Editorial Wiki, digital versions of style guides and other editorial documents that are hosted on SharePoint

Falls Church, VA, US

• Supported application of DHS AD-102, Congressional mandates, DHS and TSA Management Directives, and OMB Circulars to OTD acquisition programs
• Provided editing, proofreading, and graphics support for all contract deliverables
• Prepared and compose correspondence, prepare reports, and capture meeting minutes
• Assisted with coordinating review and recertification of OTD policies
• Maintained effective version control on all documentation developed and reviewed
• Assisted with gathering, organizing, and maintaining OTD Management Directives (MDs), forms, SOPs, internal guidance memoranda, and business rules as well as assisting with first-level review of said policies to ensure.

San Francisco, CA, US

• Chose the direction of the site through careful data analysis and due to audience response, driving page views to create the greatest incentive possible for advertisers
• Managed a stable of 20+ columnists to create original columns and interesting content that would attract readers; encouraged the growth of writers through feedback and edits
• Instituted new projects like C1 Reality Training, C1 Stories and more in order to create more interest and interactivity for readers on the site
• Researched, wrote and posted upwards of 15+ stories a day to provide relevant and industry-specific news for readers to generate interest, utilizing best SEO practices for both articles and headlines
• Ensured the site adhered to in-house and AP style guides to create consistency for readers; implemented a tagging system to make site more searchable
• Proficient in FrontContent, the content management system used to upload and host content on all verticals

San Francisco, CA, US

• Managed the creation, editing and sending of newsletters for 6 sites daily, involving coordination across several departments
• Assisted in responsive redesign by giving feedback of areas needed, content inclusion and best practices for creating an easy building process
• Looked for potential expansion in eNews, whether through new newsletters or adding new areas to existing newsletters to make them as enticing to readers as possible
• Maintained an accurate calendar of all editorial newsletters for the record of the editorial and CS departments so that editors and others could plan content accordingly; also maintained an archive of past newsletters.
• Utilized Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver, and in-house programs such as a newsletter automator to ensure a speedy building process
• Assisted in the maintenance of the newsletter automators to ensure ease of build for others in the department

Pleasanton, CA, US

• Acted as quality control for manuscripts, covers, eForms and a myriad of other products
• Coordinated with editors, proofreaders, indexers, shipping, marketing, and others
• Proofread and double checked manuscripts, followed manuscript through second layout process
• Created back page advertisements and book summaries; created online covers for eForms
• Prepared materials for the website, including eForm covers, PDFs of eForms and eGuides
• Utilized Adobe CS5, including Adobe Reader, Indesign, and Photoshop

Bellingham, WA, US

• Scanned in and organized a digital database of Algis Budrys book covers
• Collected, copied, and organized other Budrys materials, including source material, manuscripts, notes, and more
• Edited and proofread Peter Beagles' 'The Innkeeper's Song' for errors and continuity - helped to create a lexicon of terms, locations, characters, and more to assist Mr. Beagle in continuation of the series
• Listened to several audio tapes of Peter Beagle's 'A Fine and Private Place', listening for continuity errors and problems with the audio itself (gaps, noises, etc)
• Unpacked and organized an extensive source material library, one of art books including movie concepts, comic books, instruction manuals, etc, and one of fiction and nonfiction books
• Updated customer contact information database

Certification, Technical Communication

Certification, Web Media Design

Certification, Copy Editing

Bachelor Of Arts, English; Creative Writing

General Education, General Education