Laura Holliday
docholliday(at)dhwordsmithing.com / www.dochollidaywordsmithing.com
laholliday(at)gmail.com / www.lauraholliday.com
SUMMARY
- Accomplished and effective teacher, writer, editor, and public speaker
- Skilled researcher across a wide spectrum of content fields and research methodologies
- Efficiently manage time and multiple projects, set priorities, meet deadlines, and supervise others
- Resourceful, innovative, and meticulous problem solver
- Work well independently and in teams with a wide range of people
- Able to present complex material in a clear and persuasive manner, tailored for a range of audiences
- Rapid learner; quickly become expert in new subjects and techniques
RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Writing and Editing
- excel at diverse forms of written and visual communication, including websites, abstracts, reports, grants, articles, and publicity material
- editor-in-chief of a journal of visual culture, overseeing and performing content selection, editing, layout, image work, marketing, and producing print and web versions
- editor or editorial consultant on multiple article- and book-length projects
- experienced editor of job search materials—resumes, curriculum vitae, cover letters, and other supporting documents—and scholarship and academic applications
- as a manuscript reviewer, edited and assessed quality of submitted manuscripts
- prize-winning dissertation author with multiple publications
- wrote 18 successful funding applications totaling over $185,000; edited numerous others
- 14 years’ experience as writing instructor, teaching writing skills in a range of disciplines and forms
Research
- proficient in a wide range of research approaches: library, archival, and internet-based; survey design and execution; interviews and focus groups; data interpretation; assessment and evaluation strategies
- analyze and interpret information
- expert synthesizer of information: swiftly absorb large quantities of information, understand and process relationships between overall subject and details, and identify most important concepts
- communicate research results with clarity, precision, and elegance
- mentor and supervise other researchers
- multiple honors and awards for research
Teaching and Presentation Experience
- 16 years as a classroom teacher; managed classes of 10–150 students on a broad spectrum of subjects: writing, literature, media, popular and consumer culture, gender and ethnicity, and public policy
- received multiple awards for teaching excellence
- scholarly presentations at numerous national and regional professional meetings
- advised and mentored students and student groups
- supervised numerous honors projects, senior projects, and undergraduate research fellowships
- active in teacher training and pedagogy development
- received multiple awards for teaching excellence
Managerial Experience
- organized numerous conferences, symposia, and workshops
- directed and served on multiple national search committees
- instrumental in designing, piloting, and implementing new curricula
- program directing, administration and building
- create and manage budgets
- special interest and expertise in diversity initiatives
WORK HISTORY
Owner, Doc Holliday Wordsmithing, Richmond, VA, 2007-present.Adjunct Professor of Women’s Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, Fall 2009.
Coordinator for Research and Leadership, Institute for Women’s Health, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, September 2008-February 2009.
Assistant Professor of English, Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA, 2001-2008.
Faculty Postdoctoral Fellow, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, January-August 2001.
Concurrent with pursuit of PhD, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA:
- Teaching Associate and Teaching Assistant, 1996-1998 and 1999-2000.
- Instructor, Summer Transitional Enrichment Program
- Predoctoral Dissertation Fellow, Women’s Studies Program, 1998-1999.
- Editor-in-Chief, Thresholds: viewing culture 1995-1998.
- Writing Tutor, Campus Learning Assistance Services 1993-1995.
Teaching Assistant, Women’s Studies Program, The George Washington University, Washington, DC, 1991.
Editorial Assistant, The National Geographic Society Washington, DC, 1990-1991.
Teaching Assistant, Public Policy Studies, Duke University, Durham, NC, 1990.
Summer Intern, U.S. Department of State Washington, DC, 1988-1989.
EDUCATION
Ph.D., English, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, December 2000.
- Women’s Studies Doctoral Emphasis Certificate.
- Concentration in 20th-century literature and culture, especially multiethnic U.S. literature, media and popular culture, and science and technology studies.
- Earned multiple awards, grants, and fellowships.
- Wrote book-length dissertation on the role of kitchens in national discourse from World War II to 1992.
- Dissertation committee: Maurizia Boscagli, Charles Bazerman, Carl Gutierrez-Jones, Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Constance Penley.
M.A., Women’s Studies, The George Washington University, 1993.
- Interdisciplinary program with core courses in research methods, theory, and history
- Concentration in 20th-Century U.S., Asian American, and African American Literature
- Awarded teaching fellowship and scholarship as outstanding student in the M.A. program
A.B., Public Policy Studies, Duke University, Durham, NC, 1990.
- Topics covered in core courses included policy and political analysis, negotiation, ethics, statistics, and economics.
- Concentration in International Relations, South Asia and the Middle East