About

For more than 20 years, I have worked as a professional editor, helping authors refine and polish their ideas to make a lasting impact. Much of this work has focused on global health (public health in lower- and middle-income countries). Since 2016, I have edited more than 400 public health manuscripts published in peer-reviewed journals and partnered with dozens of clients on a wide variety of publications. I am well-versed in multiple editorial styles, and I stay current with evolving industry best practices and standards. 

I have a lifelong appreciation for language and for expressing ideas through writing. Through editing, I can use my skills to help advance valuable research in global health. I first began editing during my job as a program associate for a global health project at AED in Washington, DC (2001–2005). When I worked at PATH in Seattle (2006–2009), I continued editing and refining my skills. Finally, in 2010, I enrolled in a University of Washington editing certificate program and launched my career as an editor. 

After six years as an independent editor (2010–2016), I joined Tandem Editing as a co-owner of the partnership. My partners and I managed several exciting projects and clients and ever-increasing workloads. In 2022, I launched Rainier Editing to shift my focus to global health work and to provide clients with a team-based approach to meet their specific needs.

My educational background includes a master's degree in international development (with a concentration in public health) from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, and a bachelor's degree in international studies and German (with minors in political science and Spanish). After graduating, I worked at AED (now FHI 360) and PATH, both global health nonprofits. I worked on projects related to behavior change communications, water and sanitation, reproductive health, supply chain, immunization, infectious disease, noncommunicable disease, and many other cross-cutting topics. I also learned how to shepherd documents through the many steps of publication—including conception, funding, research, writing, revising, editing, finalizing, obtaining approvals, design and layout, printing, and finally, distribution. This experience has proven invaluable to me as an editor. My experience in project management has also given me a deep understanding of how projects work. I was heavily involved in developing proposals, negotiating and preparing contracts, opening field offices, providing oversight and administration of fieldwork, arranging worldwide meetings and conferences, managing a small grants program, and reporting to donors.

I was born on the island of Guam into an Air Force family, which gave me an opportunity to live in many places—from Nebraska, California, North Dakota, Texas, Louisiana, and Washington to Italy, Germany, Spain, and Austria. These experiences sparked my love of diverse cultures and languages and taught me to adapt quickly to new surroundings. In 2005, I found my way from Washington, DC, to Seattle, where I fell in love with the mountains, lakes, and vibrant city life. 

For more information about my skills and experience, see my resume.