Don W.

Benesh Willing to Relocate Senior Technical Writer, Editor, Documentation Manager Summary of Qualifications Manager and technical writer with more than 12 years experience in technical wri ting and editing; originally in the field of training, but recently in both the financial and hi-tech industries creating user guides, writing and editing hardw are and software specifications, and other business documents. * Acknowledged for team building and proactive approach to goals * Acknowledged by senior management, project managers, and clients for quality a nd consistently professional documents * Met or exceeded business goals and expectations * Personally acknowledged by CEO for automation developments * Achieved and maintained company goal of 40 hours of training annually per empl oyee * Exceptional networking and interviewing abilities working with SMEs at all lev els * Produce, write, and design templates, end user guides, and other business docu ments for internal and external customers * Ability to take charge, research, and develop various types of projects includ ing planning, scheduling, and resource management; developed and mentored docume ntation team * Comfortable collaborating in a team effort, independent work, or directing oth ers * Project management background, managing staff of more 15 direct reports "What I don't know about a business I can pick up quickly on the job; skills nee ded to lead a team successfully come from years of experience and can't be taugh t-I bring those skills with me." Technical Qualifications * Windows95 /98/NT/2002 * MSWord (2003/2007) * Excel * Access * Outlook * Lotus Notes * Visio * FrameMaker * PowerPoint * PageMaker * PhotoShop * RoboHelp * SuRPAS * Full Shot * HTML Employment Cubic Transportation Systems, Inc. (Automated Fare Collection) 11/2002 - 09/20 10 Concord, CA (Formerly ERG Transit Systems (USA), Inc. Note: Originally Hired by ERG in Nov 2 002--CTS acquired ERG assets in July 2009.) Manager, Technical Publications and Training (09/2005 - 10/2010) Developed new documentation unit responsible for professional publication st andards and documentation quality control; developed documentation project plans and timelines; developed spreadsheet for tracking all project documents and con

tract change orders. Results: Acknowledged by senior management, project manager s, and clients for contribution to improved quality of documents and contributio n to critical financial milestones. Technical Writer (11/2002 - 09/2005) Review and edit project manuals averaging 30-50 pages each (over 300 manuals annually); updated existing documentation from diverse sources to create unifie d and consistent support documents; editing/co-authoring ranged from desktop pub lishing and proofreading, to extensive re-writes. Developed document templates a nd wrote document style guides for three projects. Created and continue "Writing Tips" bulletin to raise writing standard and awareness with engineers and busin ess analysts. Results: Acknowledged for team building and proactive approach to goals; promoted to team manager. Charles Schwab and Co., Inc. (Financial Services) 08/2000 to 10/2001 San Francisco, CA Project Manager / Sr. Training Specialist Interviewed and collaborated with SMEs to write and produce user manuals for new in-house software database applications and other financial service product s. Researched, developed, and wrote instructor's guide for 8 hour employee ente rprise orientation. Researched and interviewed sales team members, including Re gional Vice Presidents, to develop and write four different procedure guides to expedite new employee training for the sales team. Results: Met or exceeded busi ness goals and expectations. Consultant (General Business) 06/1998 to 08/2000 & 10/2001 to 11/2002 Vallejo, CA Independent Contractor Various assignments: Rewrote and designed user manual and performed user tes ting for new accounts procedures for financial database software. Business, trai ning, and technical writing consultant working with local businesses; attended c omputer-training courses and registered as temp with several area agencies. The Wood Shoppe (Customer Service) 12/1996 to 06/1998 American Canyon, CA Developer / Owner Researched, developed, and wrote 50-page business plan and prospectus for un ique new small business. Designed brochures and developed marketing strategy. S ecured funding; developed and wrote training manuals for safety and basic woodwo rking courses. Results: Successfully opened and operated business. U.S. Army Reserves (Defense) (Concurrent) Prior to 1997 Mt. View, CA Manager Operations and Training Developed and wrote several end-user and procedure manuals; developed automa ted database and wrote effective user manuals documenting procedures to track cr itical task necessary to maintain department standards with 100% on time report deadlines. Results: Personally acknowledged by Commander for initiative in deve loping database; resulting information used by Commander to quickly assess compa ny training status, future training needs, expedite future planning meetings, an d arrange inspection visits of classes allowing for effective utilization of cri tical time; schedule later developed into catalogue. BNSF Railway (Transportation) Prior to 12/1996 Richmond, CA Mechanic / Trainer / Supervisor Freight-car mechanic and relief supervisor with additional duties as regiona l trainer; attended training and researched, interviewed, and collaborated with SMEs and other instructors to develop, write/edit, instructional training manual s for 12 different courses covering the transportation of hazardous materials (H AZMAT), general safety, protective masks, fork lift operation, and locomotive op

eration to comply with PUC (Public Utilities Commission), OSHA, and FRA (Federal Railway Administration) standards. Results: Achieved and maintained company goa l of 40 hours of training annually, per employee, for more than 55 employees. Education / Training MBA, Administration/Management, GPA 3.43 California Coast University Santa Ana, CA BS, Business, GPA 3.38 California Coast University Santa Ana, CA Marketing Assistant IMIT-Information Management Instruction Training Petaluma, CA Certified Technical Writer Webster Institute of Technical Writing San Francisco, CA Affiliations STC - Society for Technical Communication BAEF - Bay Area Editors Forum ASTD - American Society for Training and Development