Join us this Friday, February 25, from 6:30-8:30pm for the annual STC/FTC meeting. In honor of FTC’s 20th anniversary, the topic for this joint meeting is “Where Are They Now?” To join, be sure to RSVP through STC in order to receive the Zoom link.
Two decades ago, FTC was established and many members have come and gone, accomplishing great things along the way. To celebrate FTC’s history, a panel of past FTC leaders will be sharing their experiences and answering questions about their career paths.
Panelists include:
- Jen Selix
- Bonnie Spivey
- Brittney Cooke
- Rachael Swertferger
- Dana Georgopolous
- R.D. Sharninghouse
- Amy Truong
You won’t want to miss this special joint annual STC-FTC meeting. Bring your technical communication questions and come ready to receive great technical communication advice.
Meeting details:
Friday, February 25
6:30-8:30 pm (6:30 pm networking; 7:00 pm presentation; 8:00 pm Q&A)
RSVP: https://stc-orlando.org/event/stc-ftc-joint-meeting-where-are-they-now-ft-past-ftc-leaders/
Meet the panelists!
https://memotomembers.stc-orlando.org/?p=4229
Bonnie Spivey, C/O 2004
Bonnie Spivey is a 20-year veteran in the technical communications umbrella of professions. Currently, she is a Director of Global Marketing Operations and Project Management Office at Universal Parks and Resorts. In this capacity, she oversees projects related to the design, development, and implementation of usage of Universal Studio’s multibillion-dollar array of ‘digital media assets’. To you and me, this includes things like Harry Potter, the Minions,
Transformers, and even Coca Cola. Bonnie’s team comprises technical communicators in so many flavors, include business analysts, project managers, and product owners (just to name a
few).
Bonnie has her BA in Technical Communication from UCF (go Knights!!!). She has her MBA from Stetson University in DeLand. Among her professional accreditations are five US patents (including one for a Dining Management Experience at Disney, and a Unified Access Control system at Universal Studios). She was awarded the 2013 New Venture Consulting Award at Universal right after earning the Disney Inventor Award at Disney (her third one!).
Bonnie, who is the founder of the current iteration of the Future Technical Communicators (FTC) served as its first president. For the parent STC organization, Bonnie contributed through presentations, workshops, and mentoring (she was the co-founder (with Dan Voss!) of the STC-
FTC mentoring program). Bonnie is proud of her FTC/STC roots and looks forward to
connecting with each of you today!
LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/bonnie-spivey-mba-8646b03
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Jen Selix, C/O 2005
Jen Selix graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2005, with a B.A. in English, Technical Writing. She spent several years exploring the Orlando, FL tech comm scene, as an independent contractor, helping companies like NBC Universal, Bloomin’ Brands, Verizon, Express Scripts, and Walt Disney World to develop technical and instructional content. In 2010, Jen decided to dive deeper into the educational side of technical communication and enrolled in the Education Media Design and Technology accelerated M.S. program at Full Sail University. The additional accreditation proved to be a catalyst, allowing Jen to earn a highly coveted role at Amazon, as the global Training Manager for Amazon Web Services (AWS) Customer Support and later move on to managing corporate communications for AWS Professional Services. Today, on her 5 year Amazon anniversary, Jen is excited to share the story of how her engagement with FTC and STC have played a pivotal role in her career growth and development. She is excited to connect and offer career coaching for any FTC or STC members who would like to learn about career opportunities at Amazon/AWS.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenselix
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Dana Georgopolous, C/O 2010
Hi, I’m Dana. I have a degree in Technical Communication from UCF and offer over 10 years of technical, web-based, and corporate communications experience. My strength is writing and editing online support content, especially within the field of Knowledge Management. Even though online support is my specialty, I also enjoy exploring other forms of media. I’ve collaborated on scripts for Telly-award-winning instructional (how-to videos) during my time at Bright House Networks. And I’m currently responsible for company-wide communications at Suncoast Credit Union. My goal is to provide exceptional content that’s tailored to unique audiences.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dana-georgopoulos-6992929/
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Rachael Swertferger, C/O 2011
Rachael is currently enjoying life as a stay-at-home mom with her son, David, born October 2020. Prior to being a stay-at-home mom, she worked as a technical writer at Lockheed Martin, Carley Corporation, and Optum. At Lockheed, she worked on operator and maintainer manuals where she wrote the instructions and created supporting graphics using ArborText, HyperSTE, FrameMaker, Photoshop, and Illustrator. While at Optum, she focused on scripting and supporting documentation in their knowledge base for call agents to use while on the phone. She’s also worked with students in afterschool programs hosted at the library assisting with homework help and teaching them how to play and run their own Dungeons & Dragons games, while supporting the small non-profit by writing the monthly newsletter, maintaining the website, creating and preparing program materials, and managing the social media platforms.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachael-swertfeger-1aa97122/
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Brittney Cooke, C/O 2012
Brittney Cooke is a communications expert with over 10 years of experience, mostly in the Medicare Advantage industry. She is a UCF alumnus and former FTC Vice President. She is currently a Senior Marketing Project Manager at Anthem, Inc., where she oversees marketing campaigns and executes material development, ensuring accuracy and timely completion in accordance with government-mandated deadlines. She is passionate about making a difference in the lives of seniors throughout the country. Brittney is also a Certified Professional Résumé Writer (CPRW) and founded Enhanced Résumé and Writing Services in 2021. She holds a B.A. in English (Technical Communications) and is currently pursuing her Marketing MBA at Saint Leo University. In her free time, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and kids, traveling, and eating good food!
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brittneycooke/
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Amy Truong, C/O 2019
Mrs. Truong graduated from UCF in 2019 with a degree in Technical Communications. During her time at UCF, she was involved in the Future Technical Communicators club, first as Secretary, and then as President. She was also a member of the Society of Technical Communicators and was involved in the mentorship program. She credits both the FTC and STC with helping her land her first technical writing job. Mrs. Truong has been a technical writer working in the defense industry for more than two years. When she’s not working, Mrs. Truong enjoys working in her yard and going on long walks with her husband and their dog, Bjorn.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliatruong
