Shortly after earning my bachelor’s degree in Journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder, I launched my career as the city beat reporter for The Durango (Colo.) Herald. Even before graduation, I had freelanced, and I continue to do so now.
As a reporter working for newspapers in Colorado and Louisiana, I generally covered the activities of local governments. As a freelancer, I’ve often written on health care topics and for a few years I was a travel writer.
For several years, I worked as a reservist for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, usually in External Affairs. I researched, wrote, edited items related to disasters and managed others doing the same. Information products ranged from news releases urging citizens to register for disaster assistance to best practices in mitigation, talking points on disaster recovery, and backgrounders for Congressional staffers.
Included here are a few items I researched and wrote.
Sacred Tradition: For a few years I wrote extensively about folk arts and this was one of the articles I produced. I still enjoy collecting and living with folk art.
JFK Assassination Examined: This was among the many articles I sent on speculation to the travel departments of newspapers around the nation.
The Party’s Over: This article, which presents New Orleans as a destination for families, was one of my travel articles.
Colorado Immunization Bill Signed into Law: This article written for the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians describes how the organization worked with the state legislature to have a bill passed.
On the Trail of Calamity: This autobiographical article tells what working for FEMA was like in the 1990s. It won a writing prize from the Denver Woman’s Press Club.
Cowboy City Corrals Stormwater: This article describes a major mitigation project in Cheyenne, Wyoming. As a researcher, writer and editor, I like working on stories and reports involving engineering.
Family-Centered Care at Heart of Latino Elder Initiative: This is one of two articles on assignment for Health Elevations, a quarterly journal published by The Colorado Health Foundation.
Through Thick and Thin: This autobiographical article tells about my experience with atrial fibrillation. Published by Heart Insight, a publication of the American Heart Association, it’s largely a lesson in what not to do.