About

6-min. read

I’m Allison, a writer and writing consultant based in the Thumb of Michigan and the owner of Allison Stein Consulting, LLC. I work primarily on professional promotion projects, editing projects, and usability research projects.

On this page, you’ll find an expanded, interactive resume that provides internal and external links to my work. For a one-page summary, download my PDF resume.

Table of Contents

Use these links to navigate to a specific section of my resume.

1. Professional Promotion Experience. I discuss my roles as a social media strategist for Cardinal Solutions, social media strategist for Women of Colors, brand identity consultant for Felix Followers Youth Group, and PR program cofounder at Harbor Beach High School. Jump to Professional Promotion Experience.

2. Editing Experience. I discuss my roles as a freelance editor for Stein Expressions, LLC, and the editor-in-chief and editorial advisor for Amazing Kids! Magazine. Jump to Editing Experience.

3. Usability Research Experience. I discuss my roles as a research assistant for the Tech Comm Identity Project and team leader for a study on remote connection at Saginaw Valley State University. Jump to Usability Research Experience.

4. Education. I discuss my BA in Professional and Technical Writing, including featured coursework and professional involvement. Jump to Education.

5. Awards & Publications. I discuss the recognition I have received for my work. Jump to Awards & Publications.
   

Professional Promotion Experience

Social Media Strategist, Cardinal Solutions

Saginaw Valley State University | Saginaw, MI | Jan. 2021–Present

I am a technical writer on the interdisciplinary team responsible for creating and maintaining a professional presence for Cardinal Solutions, a research and design consultancy run by students, faculty, and alumni at SVSU. This project involves communicating the value of experiential learning to a variety of stakeholders through case studies, LinkedIn messaging, and the Cardinal Solutions website.

Social Media Strategist, Women of Colors

SVSU Cardinal Solutions | Saginaw, MI | Sept. 2020–Dec. 2020

I served as a technical writer for Cardinal Solutions, a research and design consultancy run by students, faculty, and alumni at SVSU. In this role, I worked on a multi-disciplinary project team to create social media content promoting the Saginaw nonprofit Women of Colors. My team promoted

• Women of Colors as an umbrella organization;

• the programs Warm a Child for Winter, Students and Future Technology, and WOC Prevention;

• the forums Time to Have a Conversation, How I Overcame, I’m Still a Man, and Your Voice Your Choice; and

• a giving initiative for WOC.

Over the course of this project, I developed text for 135 social media posts (45 each for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter).

Brand Identity Consultant, Felix Followers Youth Group

Kinde, MI | Jan. 2019–July 2019

I provided branding recommendations to and designed a brand identity kit about Felix Followers Youth Group. Cynthia Tait, my client and the leader of FFYG, identified two goals for the project.

• Encourage better recognition and representation of FFYG throughout the community to grow membership long term. I created a core brand identity kit (which included business cards, letterhead, and a logo) and the group newsletter to accomplish this objective.

• Encourage support of an important annual fundraising program. I created a press release, social media call for volunteers, and flyer series to accomplish this objective.

Students sold almost 250 sandwiches for the fundraising program in Summer 2019. Learn more.

PR Program Cofounder, Harbor Beach High School

Harbor Beach, MI | Mar. 2017–May 2018

I represented Harbor Beach High School at the Detroit Red Wings–Michigan Office Solutions High School Media Day event and secured a $5,000 grant for journalism projects at HBHS. I received first place in an essay competition with applicants from 50 schools.

The following year, I collaborated with the Harbor Beach superintendent, high school principal and staff, and four peers to implement the program, which included

• a biweekly newspaper distributed to HBHS students and staff,

• a quarterly newsletter mailed to all homes within the Harbor Beach school district, and

• a social media presence for HBHS.

In May 2018, I graduated from HBHS and co-created handouts to onboard new student journalists, designers, social media managers, and videographers. The program continues successfully to date. Learn more.

Editing Experience

Freelance Editor, Stein Expressions, LLC

Harbor Beach, MI | Nov. 2015–Present

I perform developmental and line editing services for clients in the Thumb region. I have edited over 1,000 manuscript pages to date.

Editor-in-Chief / Editorial Advisor, Amazing Kids! Magazine

Shoreline, WA | Feb. 2017–Apr. 2018 / May 2018–Sept. 2018

I served in a leadership position for an award-winning nonprofit magazine. During my tenure, Amazing Kids! Magazine reached a worldwide audience of nearly 1 million readers annually.

I was responsible for

• helping young authors develop their talents,

• managing a pool of international submissions to determine accepted entries,

• reviewing staff applications to select qualified candidates, and

• leading a team of ~20 writers and editors from around the country and globe.

I edited more than 600 accepted stories and features over my 15-month period as EIC.

Usability Research Experience

Team Leader, Study on Remote Connection

Saginaw Valley State University | Saginaw, MI | Sept. 2020–Dec. 2020

I led a team of seven researchers to study remote collaboration at Saginaw Valley State University. We explored

• how, for what purpose(s), and to what extent people use video conference platforms at school or work and the impact of video conference platforms on their work-home boundaries and

• how people keep track of projects and meetings with organizational tools, such as notes and calendars.

This study involved a variety of usability methods, including journey mapping, heuristic analysis, focus groups, and customer experience audits, and culminated in a presentation of our recommendations.

Research Assistant, Tech Comm Identity Project

SVSU Usability Research Team | Saginaw, MI | Sept. 2019–Dec. 2019

I completed an internship project that involved studying identity development and maintenance among student technical writers. The Tech Comm Identity Project includes a digital archive with stories from and for technical writers and the book We are the Stories We Tell: The Power of Identity in the Age of Content.

I was responsible for

• recommending strategies for the book and digital community based on accepted best practices, which our team derived from a comparative analysis of model documents,

• conducting interviews with technical writing students, and

• contributing a story about my journey from creative writer to technical writer and how identity building has helped me reconcile being a writer at heart with becoming a writing professional. Learn more.

Education

BA in Professional and Technical Writing

Saginaw Valley State University | Saginaw, MI | Dec. 2020

Major: PTW

Minor: General Business

GPA: 4.0/4.0

President’s List every semester

Featured Coursework

I completed a recruitment and retention plan in RPW 430: Advanced Problem Solving in PTW and a manual for video editors in RPW 322: Instruction Writing.

Recruitment and Retention Strategist, Professional Writing, Eastern Michigan University, January 2020–May 2020. Learn more.

Instructional Designer, Center for Experience Research and Design, Saginaw Valley State University, January 2019–May 2019. Learn more.

Professional Involvement

At SVSU, I have participated in a program of distinction, on a research team, as a board member for an RSO, and as a volunteer teaching new students how to use Adobe Creative Cloud software.

Technical Writer, Cardinal Solutions, Sept. 2020–Present.

Junior Researcher, Usability Research Team, Sept. 2019–Present.

Secretary, Association of Professional and Technical Writers, Apr. 2019–Dec. 2020.

Design Consultant, Department of Rhetoric and Professional Writing, Sept. 2019–Jan. 2020.

Awards & Publications

Publications

I run a blog for my communication consultancy, write a monthly column for a Thumb-area newspaper, and have published three books: Summer Sensations (2013), Spring Fever (2015), and Trust the Wind (2017).

Blogger, Allison Stein Consulting, LLC, Jan. 2021–Present. Learn more.

Columnist, The Lakeshore Guardian, May 2017–Present. Learn more.

Writer, Stein Expressions, LLC, Mar. 2013–Present.

Awards

I have been awarded 15+ scholarships, grants, and other monetary awards Fall 2017–present. Below, I list selected and recent awards.

Boehm Writing Award for e-Portfolios, Saginaw Valley State University, May 2020.

Celebration of Young Writers Award (Grand Prize), Huron Area Writers Group, May 2018.

Eleanor Mathews Writing Award, Saint Clair County Community College, Apr. 2018.

Richard Colwell Writing Award, Saint Clair County Community College, Apr. 2018.

President’s Scholarship, Saginaw Valley State University, Feb. 2018.*

*SVSU’s top academic scholarship for incoming freshmen

Thanks for reading!

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