Publications > Dateline Houston > April 2004 > Special Section: Chapter Elections

Volume 43, Issue 7

April 2004

2004-2005 Chapter Elections

For President: Cindy Pao

Cindy Pao has been a technical communicator for over 10 years. She is an Information Developer at BMC Software, where she works on user documentation for PATROL products.

Cindy has been active with STC Houston since 2000, when she started working on the Region 5 Conference. Working with the infamous Mistresses of Fun, Cindy worked on the fun aspects of the conference including the opening reception and prize drawings throughout the conference. In 2002, she served as the manager of the annual awards banquet. Cindy worked as Director of Programs during the 2002-2003 program year. Currently, Cindy is the chapter vice president, and she is working with David Remson to implement an online mentoring program.

Cindy has a Bachelor's degree in English from the University of Minnesota.

As president, Cindy is going to concentrate on several projects. First, she would like to reorganize the chapter leadership and volunteer structure. She will try to create more volunteer opportunities that help our members learn new skills, involve more of the chapter members, and take less time to accomplish. Our chapter depends almost totally on volunteer work, and it is very important to her that all members feel welcome and valued. Cindy will also work on achieving the goals and objectives contained in the chapter strategic plan.

For Vice President: Nicole Wycislo

Nicole Wycislo is a senior member of STC and has been active with STC Houston since 1992. In 2001, she served as general manager of the STC Region 5 Conference. This year, Nicole is serving as director of planning, seminar committee manager and programs committee member.

Over the past 10 years, Nicole served the chapter in various leadership positions, from student committee manager to director. She has also served as a member on various committees, including nominations, recognition, and strategic planning. In addition, Nicole has judged the technical publications, art, and online competition as well as Science Writing competition of the Houston Science and Engineering Fair. She has spoken at conferences, chapter meetings, university groups, and high school classes on technical communication. In 2000, Nicole was presented with the Distinguished Chapter Service Award.

Nicole is president of Verb Consulting, Inc., a creator of information solutions for technology and business. She has over 10 years experience in technical communication. Nicole earned a degree in Professional Writing from the University of Houston-Downtown and has done graduate work at Houston Baptist University.

Nicole believes that STC should be the foundation for professional growth and development for our members. She is committed to working with members to design, develop, and implement resources that support us in producing results with our careers.

For Secretary: Monica Waddell

Monica Waddell has been an STC member since Fall 2000. She has served as a "mistress of fun" on the Hospitality committee for the STC Region 5 conference in 2001, as a judge in the STC technical publications competition in 2000 and 2002, and on the Programs committee this year.

Monica has nearly 15 years of experience in technical communication. Currently, she is an information developer at BMC Software and is responsible for documenting the installation utility for distributed systems software. Before joining BMC Software, Monica was a technical editor and writer at Exxon Production Research Company, where she was on a documentation team that produced an internal documentation style guide that won an Award of Excellence in the 1995 STC Technical Publications and Art competition.

Before Monica became a technical writer, she was a reporter/photographer for a weekly community newspaper and a copywriter/account executive/media buyer for a small advertising agency. She has a BA in Journalism from Stephen F. Austin State University.

For Treasurer: David Remson

David Remson is a technical writer. He earned his degree from University of Texas at Austin and has worked as a technical communicator in the software industry for more than nine years.

David specializes in documenting security tools and processes, distributed applications, and proprietary protocols for audiences of software developers and security administrators. David's career highlights include working on the "original" Microsoft Windows 95 and Adobe PageMaker support teams, and he claims that these experiences "were not always pleasant, especially when users waited on hold for hours to talk to us, but they definitely trained me by fire and sparked my continued interest in usability and user advocacy."

David moved around the country to pursue his career goals, but he says that he was happy to remove his jacket and settle down back home in 2000. David has been an STC Houston member ever since. David has received multiple five-star accolades in Security Computing magazine as well as STC awards for his Unix and firewall product documentation published by PentaSafe Security Technologies, Inc., and NetIQ Corporation.

For Director: Lisa Alvarado

Lisa Alvarado has been with Aesbus Knowledge Solutions since October 2000, and has performed several functions during her tenure including lead writer, project manager, and staff manager. Currently, as Director of Business Solutions, she manages a variety of solutions designed to meet the specific needs of clients large and small. Before joining Aesbus, Lisa held several management positions in several industries including banking, mortgage servicing, food service, call center service, and customer service. She received a B.A. in History from Texas A&M University, and an M.A. in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. Lisa lives in Houston with her husband of 11 years, and her two daughters.

For Director: Melissa Britt

Melissa Britt is an independent technical writing consultant with eight years experience writing computer hardware and software user documentation, training materials, and marketing collateral. Melissa earned her M.A. in Technical and Expository Writing from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 1998.

Melissa has been a member of STC since 1998, and has been active in the Arkansas and Houston chapters. She was recently a member of the competitions committee for Houston. In addition, Melissa has served as a competitions judge the last two years and was a speaker at last year's Annual Conference.

Melissa looks forward to serving the Houston chapter by helping to create a rewarding experience for all its members and helping to demonstrate the importance of writers in all aspects of technical communications.

For Director: Mary Gwynne

Mary Gwynne has been a member of STC since 1997. Since she became a member, she has volunteered for various activities, including the technical publications competitions and programs. In 2001-2002, she served as the director of volunteer resources, and as the volunteer coordinator in 2002-2003.

After receiving her Master's degree in English from Stephen F. Austin State University, Mary taught Freshman and Sophomore English at the local colleges. She then worked as a technical writer in a variety of industries, including construction, environmental, and oil and gas. For the past five years, she has been an information developer at BMC Software.

Mary is the mother of two children, Emily and Drew. She enjoys volunteering for the Girl Scouts of America and spending time outdoors.

Mary is grateful for the many opportunities for career growth and networking that STC membership has provided. As a director, she will promote STC and help to ensure that others receive the benefits of STC membership as well.

For Director: Linda King

A Kentucky native, Linda King began her career as a technical communicator and STC member developing proposals and documentation for research projects in applied physics. Linda has been a Katy resident and member of STC Houston since 1979. She has been a business and technical communication professional and manager for large and small Houston businesses in these industries: engineering and construction; oilfield services; navigational aids; automotive aftermarket; and computer hardware, software, and solutions. Since 1995 Linda has been an award-winning developer of technology-focused deliverables for Compaq/Hewlett-Packard.

As a newcomer to Houston, Linda became very active in the local STC chapter, serving on the board of directors and managing the chapter's annual professional development seminar. With her two children grown, she is again eager to take an active role in the chapter. As a first step in 2003, she served as General Manager of the annual Houston Chapter Competitions and awards banquet.

For Director: Angela Livingston

Angela Livingston recently completed the Bachelor of Arts degree in History at the University of Houston. As a lifetime learner, she seeks certification from the Houston Community College department of Digital Communications.

This inclination towards learning moved her to join STC Houston in 2002. The society warmly welcomed Angela and offered opportunities to gain experience. Primarily, she volunteered with the Employment Committee as a web researcher. STC named Angela Volunteer of the Month in May 2003. As she gains so much from the society in knowledge and community, Angela desires to add value to this already award-winning chapter.

Angela enjoys working on group projects professionally and academically. She served as personnel manager for her high school's fledgling radio station. Moreover, her participation in Peer Assistance and Leadership assisted her in acquiring and honing leadership skills. This refining process never ends for Angela because she incorporates it every day.

For Director: Jennifer Smith

Jennifer Smith has been a technical editor for Schlumberger Oilfield Marketing Communications for two years. She edits advertisements, brochures, technical papers, handbooks, and other publications. She is also part of a team that is responsible for regular updates of the organization's style guide. Jennifer has been a member of and volunteer for STC since 2002. As a Schlumberger employee, she has been a member of and volunteer for Women in Schlumberger Everywhere, especially for its effort to support the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

Previously, Jennifer worked as a news editor and reporter for PennWell Corp. publications Ocean Oil Weekly Report, Offshore Magazine, Oil & Gas Journal, and Oil & Gas Journal Online.

She has a bachelor's degree from the University of Houston with a major in English and a minor in journalism.

Jennifer is married to a Houston attorney. They have no children. They are both members of the local chapter of the Society for Creative Anachronism (www.ansteorra.org).

For Director: Rebecca Taylor

Rebecca Taylor has been an active STC member since she joined the New Mexico Tech (NMT) Student Chapter in 1997. She served as the NMT chapter president for two years. Under her leadership, the chapter received a Chapter Achievement Award in 1999. Her most treasured memento from the NMT chapter is the Distinguished Chapter Service Award that she received in 1999.

Rebecca moved to Houston in 1999 and became active with the Houston chapter when Melanie G. Flanders and Nicole Wycislo recruited her to act as the Region 5 Conference publications committee manager. In 2001, Rebecca became the managing editor for Dateline Houston. She also served as the STC Houston director of communications for the 2002-2003 program year.

Rebecca is a product marketing manager at Hewlett-Packard. She is passionate about encouraging and empowering her colleagues to embrace evolving technology to communicate better and more often. Since her college adventure is still fresh in her memory, she is also eager to help students find a home in STC and the technical communication profession. She also recently joined the Corporate Advisory Board for the Technical Communication program at New Mexico Tech.

Proposed Bylaws Changes

Due to formatting requirements, the Bylaws changes are provided in PDF only. Click here to access the proposed STC Houston Bylaws changes.