Lead and manage a diverse team of 14 employees, including assembly technicians, electrical technicians, engineers, machinists, welders, fabricators, and painters, to ensure efficient operations in a manufacturing environment. Oversee all HR functions, including recruitment, employee relations, performance management, and payroll processing, fostering a positive and productive workplace culture.Coordinate daily production schedules to ensure timely and accurate fulfillment of customer orders, and manage inventory to maintain optimal stock levels and minimize waste. Collaborate directly with company owners to align operational activities with business goals, providing strategic input on process improvements and resource allocation. Organize and manage the shipping and logistics of all completed machines, ensuring on-time delivery and maintaining strong relationships with carriers and clients. Implement process improvements to increase efficiency and reduce costs, enhancing overall operational performance and contributing to revenue growth.

Secure publishing contracts and provide leadership to the acquisitions department. Support the Director in shaping the list and conducting departmental meetings. Guide the acquisitions department by providing opportunities for networking and professional development. Schedule and conduct meetings and workshops with board members, administrators, and prospective authors at press consortium institutions. Present worthy projects to the Press’s Editorial Board and Press Committee. Coordinate the movement of approved projects through the publication process, from contract negotiation through transmittal, publication planning, and marketing. Work closely with Press staff, authors, and series editors to discuss and shape projects. Attend conferences and events to meet with authors and series editors and to represent the Press. Review and evaluate manuscripts and proposals each year, and obtain outside assessments for those that merit further consideration. Build contacts of potential authors and reviewers through networking, conference attendance, and visiting consortium schools. Work with authors to develop potential book manuscripts, including soliciting proposals and manuscripts, reviewing proposal and manuscript drafts and offering editorial assistance. Handle high level and difficult conversations with authors throughout contract negotiation. Network with various scholarly and regional contacts to identify and exploit opportunities for book projects. Conduct research on the author, subject matter, and possible competing publications.

Secure publishing contracts on 20-30 new titles each year, and publish 20 or more titles annually. Coordinate the movement of projects through the publication process, from contract negotiation through transmittal, publication planning, and marketing and sales. Work closely with Press staff, authors, and series editors to discuss and shape projects. Attend conferences and events to meet with authors and series editors and to represent the Press. Work to develop and developmentally edit significant new book projects. Consult with the marketing department in the early phases of new project development. Secure needed financial subsidies for appropriate projects. Represent Press by visiting consortium institutions, attending conferences, speaking locally about the Press and publishing, and being in close touch with authors, advising them about publishing.

Providing administrative and editorial support to editors including soliciting manuscripts; manuscript development; contract negotiations; list planning and scheduling; managing multiple concurrent projects on different timelines; assisting authors with writing and submission of manuscripts; traveling on behalf of the Press and acquisitions department to sell books and develop relationships for future projects. Following staff departures, I have assisted with a senior editor’s portfolio and helped shepherd those projects through the publication process while also nurturing new projects.

Providing administrative support for the marketing department including assisting publicists with events and reviews, direct mail campaigns, and helping exhibits manager with reconciliations and displays. Developing schedules for production of marketing copy and routing as well as writing catalog and jacket/cover copy. Communicating with the community using social networking tools such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, and the University Press of Kentucky blog. Maintaining and updating the UPK website and working with the Marketing Director and IT Manager on improvements and redesigns as needed. Design, implement and manage Wordpress-based web sites in collaboration with the direct promotions manager.

Interviewing students, staff, and professors within UK’s College of Arts & Sciences. Digitally editing and producing promotional audio material for the college using a wide array of software. Writing scripts for various media productions. Writing articles that tell the story of students, staff, faculty, or programs within the University of Kentucky’s College of Arts & Sciences.

Management of AceWeekly.com a self-hosted Wordpress blog with multiple writers and contributors that represents the online presence of Lexington’s most prominent alternative weekly newspaper. Writing and editing articles for both print/online publication. Newsletter promotion and management with minor ad sales experience.

Writer for an alternative local newspaper writing on a range of topics including social justice, “Occupy Wall Street,” and the local art community.