The EPA regulates the injection of carbon dioxide into deep rock formations, otherwise known as carbon capture and sequestration (i.e., storage) or CCS. So-called Class VI injection wells are a "critical tool for cutting carbon emissions and combatting the climate crisis" (James McGuire, Acting Deputy General Counsel, EPA, April 2023, LinkedIn post). Lonquist specializes in facilitating CCS companies in obtaining Class VI permits from the EPA, for injection wells in states such as Wyoming… Show more The EPA regulates the injection of carbon dioxide into deep rock formations, otherwise known as carbon capture and sequestration (i.e., storage) or CCS. So-called Class VI injection wells are a "critical tool for cutting carbon emissions and combatting the climate crisis" (James McGuire, Acting Deputy General Counsel, EPA, April 2023, LinkedIn post). Lonquist specializes in facilitating CCS companies in obtaining Class VI permits from the EPA, for injection wells in states such as Wyoming, Texas, and Louisiana. The projects are massive.So are the applications for those permits, each approximately 350 pages long. That's where I come in, as their first-ever technical editor.I work side by side with the Lonquist "proposal managers" and frontline writers of those epic applications. They are all expert engineers--each specializing in petroleum or drilling, geology or caverns (yes, you read that right)...the fascinating list, like the pages of these apps with their technical descriptions, 3D images, and more, go on. I am, one of them told me, a "word engineer."Can't think of a better way to sum that up. Show less

I participated in team-editing massive federal government proposals, some worth more than one billion dollars. This experience crowned a decade of freelancing government proposals, corporate presentations, and more for other such companies, including ANSER, Inc. (my original DoD employer; see 2000-2013 here) and Lonquist & Co., LLC, who went on to hire me full time as their first-ever technical editor.

At this nuclear physics (NP) facility--1 of 17 in the DOE national-lab system--I assisted the executives and other lab leadership in generating consistent, high-quality documentation--content that spoke into the lab community and went out to DOE and elected officials; that addressed the general public and collaborated with the specific NP community around the country and the world. In that, I served as the senior editor for corporate materials including official reports, briefings and… Show more At this nuclear physics (NP) facility--1 of 17 in the DOE national-lab system--I assisted the executives and other lab leadership in generating consistent, high-quality documentation--content that spoke into the lab community and went out to DOE and elected officials; that addressed the general public and collaborated with the specific NP community around the country and the world. In that, I served as the senior editor for corporate materials including official reports, briefings and presentations, proposals, white papers, policies and procedures, plans (including strategic communications), and correspondence essential to the effective operation of Jefferson Lab. As a part of the Communications Office, I worked in the trenches with the staff for both external (public affairs, etc.) and internal (web content, etc.) communications. I also assisted the tour coordinator and other event services crew in featuring premier events and hosting “high-vis” guests, from members of Congress to DOE executives, local and state government officials, college and university presidents, and more. Creating and teaching writing workshops, consulting on writing issues, managing and promoting the editorial standards, performing technical editing on proposals, and helping shape the future of document management at the lab also numbered among my never-a-dull-moment responsibilities. Show less

HGST brought me on as a contracted, temporary consultant to help improve communications both external and internal, such as creating a monthly e-news and managing the launch of their new, long-in-the-making website. This role was uniquely dual-hatted, in that I also managed the university's admissions-office duties (including overseeing an admissions officer), effectively researching for and promoting admissions while administrating potential students in the system and "onboarding" the… Show more HGST brought me on as a contracted, temporary consultant to help improve communications both external and internal, such as creating a monthly e-news and managing the launch of their new, long-in-the-making website. This role was uniquely dual-hatted, in that I also managed the university's admissions-office duties (including overseeing an admissions officer), effectively researching for and promoting admissions while administrating potential students in the system and "onboarding" the accepted applicants. In all of this, I worked directly for the university president; collaborated directly with deans, professors, and adjuncts; and worked alongside the entire administrative staff in both furthering the HGST brand and reach--and processing and welcoming new and returning students. Show less

HAL Inc., a family-owned UPS-type company in the oil and gas industry, hired me to edit reports for a major software revision, after editing technical manuals for them in 2015. My work helped update their business processes by a leap measured in years.

For this veteran-owned company doing DoD contract work, I was the lead writer of an e-news targeting families with members with special needs (i.e., 508 compliance), content that was both original and consistently revised and repurposed for the U.S. military's premier website for the global military community and families, across all the military services. I also edited other web articles for the content team, copyedited marketing collateral, and co-wrote strategic communications plans… Show more For this veteran-owned company doing DoD contract work, I was the lead writer of an e-news targeting families with members with special needs (i.e., 508 compliance), content that was both original and consistently revised and repurposed for the U.S. military's premier website for the global military community and families, across all the military services. I also edited other web articles for the content team, copyedited marketing collateral, and co-wrote strategic communications plans. The content I developed connected thousands of military families with resources and support around the globe. Show less

ANSER is a venerable DC-area company doing award-winning U.S. government contract work. I rose from Air Force proofreader to Pentagon historian to ANSER’s senior writer-editor. I collaborated with the executives and top managers and all manner of staff across the company, advising on writing and document management issues, mentoring junior editors, and developing materials ranging from poster copy to proposals, memos to histories, video scripts to voluminous training materials. On the latter… Show more ANSER is a venerable DC-area company doing award-winning U.S. government contract work. I rose from Air Force proofreader to Pentagon historian to ANSER’s senior writer-editor. I collaborated with the executives and top managers and all manner of staff across the company, advising on writing and document management issues, mentoring junior editors, and developing materials ranging from poster copy to proposals, memos to histories, video scripts to voluminous training materials. On the latter, for example, I copyedited 1,700+ pages for a FEMA project, which won the team a major corporate award.I also co-wrote and edited documents for President Obama, Congress, and DHS, among others.The history work I did for the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Defense (ASD(HD)) and his elite staff at the Pentagon, from 2003-2008, continues to be used for training to this day. The two volumes I wrote about the early history of that office (2003-2005, 2005-2008), conducting multiple interviews of all the key staff--including the ASD himself and his DASDs--and performing deep research into the cabinets of their top secret archives, were recently declassified and released to me for publishing. Show less

The Hampton Police Division in Virginia annually responds to more than 100,000 calls. I did so well in my three years in the communications unit that management transferred me into the crime scene unit, to apply my skills there--where I gathered, documented, transported, and analyzed evidence (often in scientific ways); worked closely with officers and detectives alike; and prepared testimony for court.

I dispatched public safety units and answered 9-1-1 calls on the toughest shift, 3-11 p.m. My excellent performance galvanized my management to approach me about CSI work (see above).