Category: Member Spotlight

Meet the New Extended Council for 2024-2025: Web Manager

Our chapter is incredibly lucky to have leaders willing to support council activities in the extended council positions highlighted below. These members have been appointed to their important positions. 

We were so relieved to hear Peggy was interested in serving the chapter as a web manager for another year! Apart from all the work managing the website, she also keeps the EventBrite page running smoothly. Read more about Peggy below!

Name: Peggy Frizzo

Position: Programs and Co-webmaster

Years in STC: 25

Years in Technical Communication: 34

Current Position and Employer: Senior Manager, Software Documentation & Training at Dematic Corp.

STC and related work experience: I participated with the West Michigan Shores chapter for many years leadership and support roles and then assisted with the merger with the Southeastern Michigan chapter to create the Michigan Great Lakes chapter. I enjoy being part of STC and the Michigan Great Lakes chapter because of the many learning, collaborating, and networking opportunities that are interesting and valuable.

Why are you interested in this office position? I enjoy working behind the scenes with the chapter programs and website. I’m happy to help in whatever ways support the chapter’s success.

Education:

  • B.S. in English, Ball State University

Meet the New Extended Council for 2024-2025: Publicity

Our chapter is incredibly lucky to have leaders willing to support council activities in the extended council positions highlighted below. These members have been appointed to their important positions. 

Christine Mendiola wears a bright blue paisley top.

Though publicity and marketing are not new skills for Christine, we are thrilled to welcome a new face to the extended council! Meet Christine: 

Name: Christine Mendiola

Position: Publicity

Years in STC: 3 years

Years in Technical Communication: 7 years (volunteer)

Current Position and Employer: Volunteer Technical Writer for American Red Cross (still looking for my first paid technical writing position, currently work in healthcare)

STC and related work experience: none

Why are you interested in this office position? Interested in learning more about the chapter

What else would you like members to know about you? Hobbies include fiction writing, juggling, and sword fighting!

Education:

  • B.A. English Creative Writing from Ohio Wesleyan University
  • Technical Communication Certificate from Washtenaw Community College

Meet the New Extended Council for 2024-2025: Social Media and Membership Chair 

Our chapter is incredibly lucky to have leaders willing to support council activities in the extended council positions highlighted below. These members have been appointed to their important positions. 

Kelly Smith wears glasses and has short, colorful hair.

Kelly Smith has served in the roles of social media manager and membership chair for a while now, so we have her to thank for the growth of our socials, especially the LinkedIn page! Get to know more about Kelly below: 

Name: Kelly Smith

Positions: Membership Manager and Social Media Manager

Years in STC: 9

Years in Technical Communication: 27

Current Position and Employer: Senior Technical Writer, Dart Container Corporation

STC and related work experience:

  • Former editor of IDL SIG newsletter
  • Current Nominating Committee member
  • 2024 judge of STC Carolina’s Technical Communication contest

Why are you interested in this office position? I have held this position for a number of years and am happy to continue.

What else would you like members to know about you? I’m a published author and former quilt magazine editor. I love to quilt, read, listen to podcasts, and travel.

Education:

  • MS in Technical Communication Management
  • MS in IT
  • BA in English

Meet the 2024-2025 Leadership: Nominating Committee 

STC-MGL is pleased to introduce you to the newest chapter leaders.

The first to volunteer to run a book club meeting or share a new Zoom background, Mark stepped up to take on the role of Nominating Committee member. Look for an email from him next election season! 

Name: Mark Lockwood

Position: Nominating Committee

Years in STC: 25

Years in Technical Communication:25

Current Position and Employer: Senior Revenue Management Analyst, Trinity Health

STC and related work experience: My career highlights include working on several large-scale online help and technical documentation sets for several software companies, as well as contributing to the development of a variety of corporate communication deliverables along the way. The projects I like to work on the most involve innovating to create new solutions for business challenges. My current role as an analyst/writer features many opportunities to work on such projects and explore new technologies.

My start in tech comm included participation in STC, as I attended chapter events while in college. I last served our chapter when it was still the STC/SM chapter. I held positions in the administrative council over four terms, including serving as the webmaster. I was the STC/SM chapter president from 2009-2010.

Why are you interested in this office position? I have always found that the greatest benefits of staying involved with STC come from meeting new people and engaging with members and chapter activities. I hope we can continue encouraging chapter members to stay involved and make contributing to the chapter a valued piece of their professional development.

What else would you like members to know about you? I live with my wife and two school-aged boys, along with a cat and a hamster. The cat likes me a lot more than the hamster. When I am not involved with family activities, I enjoy playing racquetball. If anyone is looking for a game, let me know.

Education:

● Bachelor of Science, Technical Communications, Eastern Michigan University

Meet the 2024-2025 Leadership: Treasurer 

STC-MGL is pleased to introduce you to the newest chapter leaders.

Kylie Jacobsen wearing a fuchsia top.

The most recent IPP, Kylie was keen to try her hand at a different leadership role in the community. Learn more about Kylie below!

Name: Kylie Jacobsen

Position: Treasurer

Years in STC: 12 years

Years in Technical Communication: 13 years

Current Position and Employer: Assistant Professor of Writing at Grand Valley State University in Allendale, MI 

STC and related work experience: I became involved with STC as a student member in the Iowa State University Student Chapter and then later as a student leader in the Texas Tech University Student Chapter. Upon graduation in 2019, I joined the STC-MGL Chapter when I moved to Michigan for work. Since then, I have chaired the STC Scholarship Committee and served as a member of the STC Education Committee, STC Ken Rainey Committee, STC Summit Planning Committee, STC Community Affairs Committee, STC DSCA Committee, and I edit the NextGen TechComm student column in Intercom. 

Why are you interested in this office position? I wanted to round out my STC service experience and since I was a student member, I have never sat in the treasurer position. I look forward to continuing the excellent work of Alison, the treasurer before me, and believe my experience with STC and involvement with MGL will be an asset to the chapter’s future financial planning. 

What else would you like members to know about you? I’m an avid housepantswoman! I love collecting new plants (I have over 100 house plant varieties) and have taken up gardening and landscaping with native plants. I’d love to swap tips and tricks or even cuttings. 

Education:

  • PhD, Technical Communication and Rhetoric, Texas Tech University
  • MA, Rhetoric, Composition, and Professional Communication, Iowa State University 
  • BA, Professional Writing and Communication, Southwest Minnesota State University 

Meet the 2024-2025 Leadership: Secretary  

STC-MGL is pleased to introduce you to the newest chapter leaders.

Deb has been an active STC MGL member and participant in the mentoring program for a couple years and we are so excited to welcome her to the council. Learn more about Deb below! 

Name: Debanina (Deb) Seaton

Position: Secretary

Years in STC: About two years

Years in Technical Communication: About two years

Current Position and Employer: Currently I am a Technical Writer at Aston Carter (on assignment at General Motors Company)

STC and related work experience: I became a member of STC in 2022. I’ve participated in multiple STC-MGL events, including in-person meet-ups. Currently I am working on content management for General Motors Company and assist in some technical writing. I also am working on improving my skills in Microsoft Excel, Power BI, and other software programs that would assist me in reaching my goal of becoming a financial technical writer.

Why are you interested in this office position? I really would like to contribute to the chapter more. I think there are a lot of great opportunities and contributions I could make as a chapter office member. One of those contributions is introducing technical communication to younger people to see if it is a career they would consider, and other ways to encourage more members to the group.

What else would you like members to know about you? I really love animals! I like them so much I started short-term fostering cats and dogs. I also like to travel. I would like to visit every continent, and I really like to try new foods – especially bizarre ones. I really want to try a fried scorpion and maybe a Balut. I have an eclectic taste in music, and one of my favorite genres is metal. I currently work out 4 days a week and I’m not sure I’d try bodybuilding competitions in the future, but I will eventually learn power lifting.

Education: I graduated from Wayne State University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and a minor in Political Science. I also completed a technical communication boot camp course in 2022 and received a certificate of completion.

Meet the 2024-2025 Leadership: Vice President 

STC-MGL is pleased to introduce you to the newest chapter leaders.

We are excited to welcome a new face to the council, though if you’ve attended any of our networking events or book club meetings, you’ll recognize Rob Sulewski. Learn more about Rob below!

Name: Rob Sulewski

Position: Vice President

Years in STC: 16

Years in Technical Communication: 26

Current Position and Employer: Teaching Professor, Program in Technical Communication, College of Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

STC and related work experience: I have taught technical communication at the U of M College of Engineering since 1998, primarily to civil and environmental engineering students at all levels. In addition, for the last 9 years I have also had my own consulting business through which I teach technical communication and edit technical documents for civil and environmental engineering firms in the State.

Why are you interested in this office position? I have been interested in getting more involved with and contributing more to STC for a number of years, and when the opportunity recently arose I couldn’t have been more delighted. I also see this as an opportunity to familiarize myself more with the policies and procedures of the chapter.

What else would you like members to know about you? As you see below, my educational background is checkered, but I find that my knowledge of basic (and in some cases, higher-level) sciences helps me enormously in my work. It’s similar with my literature background; when I was in that program, we read a lot of rhetorical texts (and indeed, a number of novels, too). I was also on the Executive Committee of my Program at the College for several years. Apart from technical communication, I am also an actor and director (most recently since 2006 in Shakespeare in the Arb productions in Ann Arbor during the summer).

Education:

  • PharmD, 1986
  • MA (Comparative Literature), 1988
  • MS (Environmental Health Sciences), 1992
  • PhD (Comparative Literature), 1999

Meet the 2024-2025 Leadership: Immediate Past President 

STC-MGL is pleased to introduce you to the newest chapter leaders.

This year’s Immediate Past President (IPP) is a familiar face at STC-MGL. Wes Schoenherr assumes  the role of IPP and takes on the responsibility of chairing the Nominating Committee. Learn more about him below: 

Name: Wes Schoenherr

Position: Immediate Past President

Years in STC: 4

Years in Technical Communication: 3.5

Current Position and Employer: Technical Content Developer, KMC Controls

STC and related work experience: Council member for the past three years

Why are you interested in this office position? STC and STC-MGL helped me get into Technical Communication, so for the past three years I’ve tried to pay it forward as a council member. I hope to continue that effort for another year by assisting the STC-MGL council as Immediate Past President.

What else would you like members to know about you? I’m happy to share experiences about being a Technical Communicator in a small company that is trying to grow with anyone who’d like to chat.

Education:

  • I completed Leah Guren’s TechComm Fundamentals Bootcamp. It helped me develop a portfolio that got me a job in the field.
  • CPTC Level 1
  • MA in TESOL from the University of San Francisco
  • BA in English from Eastern Michigan University

Katherine Baeckeroot  Awarded a 2023 Distinguished Community Service Award

Katherine wins a DSCA award.
Katherine Baeckeroot, STC-MGL immediate past-president

Katherine Baeckeroot, STC-MGL immediate past-president, was nominated and awarded a Distinguished Community Service Award for 2023.

Katherine has been an incredibly involved member of Michigan STC Chapters since June 2017, and she even attended 2014 summit as a student at Michigan Tech. Katherine expertly navigated a significant portion of the migration from two Michigan-based chapters into one during 2020. At the time, Katherine was the president of the STC Southeastern Michigan chapter (which merged with the STC West Michigan Shores chapter). After 2020, she took on the role of immediate past president but because of the large amount of work required to successfully transition and rebuild a chapter, she was heavily involved in leadership, even agreeing to a second presidential turn in 2021. We cannot overlook the dedication and expertise she brought to the chapter, especially during the upswing in virtual programming.  Katherine has provided extensive support beyond what is typically necessary of past leadership.

Katherine established several innovative programs for the chapter. Namely, she created our succession plan, overall operating management plans, and established our programing structures, many of which she initiated with other chapters (such as Toronto, Chicago, and Ohio’s). She began the virtual book club program in 2018, a program our chapter hosts biannually to this day. As a chapter, we’ve read over 7 technical communication books and hosted discussions with members across the state over the material. Some of the textbooks have now been included in the college curriculum. She also co-created Tech Comm Trivia night questions in 2021 and designed the interactive playing board, which is publicly available for other communities to use. Additionally, she created the marketing materials for our chapter and approximately 50 blog posts promoting our chapter activities.

Katherine’s citation reads:

For your exceptional leadership as STC Michigan Great Lakes chapter president, innovative programming and inexhaustible enthusiasm for providing additional value to the membership, and for your wisdom, experience, and sound advice.

We’re so thankful for your contributions, Katherine, and congratulations!

Andy Fiss Awarded Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication at CCCC

Dr. Andy Fiss, STC-MGL member and Associate Professor of Technical & Professional Communication at Michigan Tech, was awarded a 2023 CCCC Technical and Scientific Communication Award for Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication. Andy and his book, Performing Math: A History of Communication and Anxiety in the American Mathematics Classroom, were honored at the CCCC Awards Presentation on Friday, February 17, during the 2023 CCCC Annual Convention.

I had the opportunity to sit down with Andy to ask him a few questions about his work. When I asked him how he found himself conducting research at the intersection of communication, anxiety, and mathematical instruction, he answered that he was a mathematics major as an undergrad. He reflected on the weird reactions and phrases like “I hate math” he received when he told people his major and recollected that other majors didn’t get the same type of response. As a result, he started thinking about the history of the pedagogy of mathematical instruction and became curious where where communication and anxiety arose in that early work. Notably, related studies are limited to high school mathematics instruction. His book expands on the general dread many people express toward math by analyzing several historical documents including songs and plays written about math education.  

The selection committee awarded his book the title of Best Book in Technical or Scientific Communication because it is “Compelling, well-researched, and a very interesting read. Though Fiss’s book focuses on the historical instruction of math, his ideas about classroom performance can be translated to other fields,” so I asked what can writers/communicators take away from your book, in or out of the classroom?  He replied that this book is a collection of stories of past practices and can shed light on general approaches to helping make things unfamiliar more familiar, much like the work of technical communicators.

The selection committee also said “… It offers some insight into how we may accidentally create anxiety when producing technical communication.” In response to my question about how this happens, he explained that, for example, the pedagogical practice of “chalk talk” suddenly required that students not only demonstrate proficiency in mathematics but also oratory instantly. The connections between increasing demands for skills outside the purview of a subject may certainly ring true to the technical writer experience today.  

Fiss has been the I am the faculty advisor for the STC student chapter at Michigan Tech and MGL member for 4 years. The book, published by Rutgers University Press, can be purchased at: https://www.rutgersuniversitypress.org/performing-math/9781978820203