Kelsie McWilliams

Resume

Overview

Adaptable writer and editor with 10+ years of experience across education, tech, finance, health and wellness, pets and animal welfare, and other industries. Marketing content strategist skilled in SEO/SEM optimization and developing copy for blogs, email, social media, scripts, landing pages, and more. eLearning content creator trained in online education and project management with experience applying Bloom’s taxonomy, ADDIE, backwards design, rapid iterative prototyping, and UDL principles to develop engaging content for K–12 and adult learners. Growth-minded leader and manager with 4+ years of experience overseeing, training, and evaluating teams of remote writers, editors, and instructors.

Education

GOOGLE: 2024

Digital Marketing & E-commerce Professional Certificate

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY GLOBAL: 2020

Graduate Certificate in Digital Instructional Architecture

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER, Denver, CO: 2014

M.A. in Rhetoric and the Teaching of Writing

GPA – 4.0

UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER, Denver, CO: 2012

B.A. in English Writing and Creative Writing (dual degree)

Minors in History and Interdisciplinary Research Methods

Career Summary

MindMax – March 2023 to Present

Marketing agency specializing in enrollment and marketing technology solutions for the entire student lifecycle at universities and colleges.

Content Specialist

  • Develop and edit copy for email broadcasts, nurture sequences, landing pages, display ads, blogs, video scripts, and paid search and social media ads for universities and colleges in an agency environment.
  • Manage content and email calendars to ensure that content is executed on schedule.
  • Design and update creative assets in Adobe Illustrator and InDesign.
  • QC ad and email copy in all platforms—Pardot, Google Ads, Meta, WordPress, and LinkedIn—to ensure accuracy.
  • Research competitors and marketing trends to ensure that content is relevant and aligned with target audiences, industry needs, enrollment goals, and overall marketing strategy.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally across marketing, enrollment, and operations team to identify solutions and execute marketing services on behalf of clients.

Peterson’s – January 2021 to March 2023

Educational services company dedicated to helping students prepare for and fund their education through high school and beyond.

Editorial Project Manager, January 2022 to March 2023

  • Managed content development for two books, three courses, and 25 instructional videos.
  • Coordinated with book designer, copy editors, and production editor to develop instructional content.
  • Conducted market research and competitor analysis to inform revisions for online courses and new editions of books.
  • Streamlined project development time using work breakdown structures and project plans.
  • Implemented processes for compiling and maintaining necessary project resources.
  • Gathered and analyzed metrics related to project timelines and resource expenditures.

Writer/Editor, January 2021 to January 2022

  • Served as book lead and project strategist for three print titles and two online courses.
  • Research test structure, timing, and alignments to develop organization and sequence of print titles and online content.
  • Review and identify gaps in existing content for alignment with revised and updated testing guidelines.
  • Generated and aggregated content for interactive lessons, activities, and practice tests.
  • Performed quality control reviews of online materials for functionality, completeness, accuracy, clarity, and concision.
  • Copy edited material for spelling, grammar, style, accuracy, and consistency according to product specifications and company style.
  • Collaborated with content writers and editors to resolve inconsistencies in content and/or style.

Thred Blog at Lutheran Hour Ministries – August 2022 to January 2024

A Christian outreach ministry aimed at inspiring readers to engage in spiritual conversations.

Contract Writer

• Wrote blog posts and Instagram carousel content on topics related to faith and spiritual identity.

WorldQuant University – November 2021 to May 2023

An accredited global education provider offering free online programs in data sciences to students in more than 100 countries.

Curriculum Content Editor

• Created and maintained internal style guide to ensure consistency in quality as well as tone, style, and voice for 9 courses comprising the Master of Science in Financial Engineering program.
• Performed substantive and structural editing of student-facing course content, including lesson notes, video scripts, assignments, test questions, learning outcomes, Jupyter Notebooks, and more.
• Developed instructional writing guides and assessments for student orientation course.

Wild One Writing – November 2020 to September 2022

A creative marketing agency focused on compelling storytelling through copy writing, content writing, and ghostwriting.

Contract Copywriter

• Wrote SEO landing page and blog content on drug and alcohol addiction, medical detox, partial hospitalization programs, inpatient and outpatient treatment, behavioral and mental health issues, therapeutic services, and more.

Colorado State University Global – December 2017 to December 2020

The first independent, fully accredited, 100% online state university in the U.S. and one of three campuses in the Colorado State University system.

Student Services Coordinator, July 2020 to December 2020

  • Oversaw a staff of 25 career coaches, 16 writing consultants, and seven résumé reviewers.
  • Created, optimized, and maintained process documentation, including job aids, training materials, hiring and onboarding documents, quality control assessments, and resources for ongoing professional development.
  • Developed strategic vision and goals to increase usage and expand visibility of Career Navigation Services and the Writing Center.
  • Conducted surveys and focus groups to identify stakeholder needs and propose targeted initiatives.
  • Developed resources for the Writing Center and Career Navigation Services to meet student and alumni needs based on internal data, program offerings, and industry trends.

Contractor – Curriculum Special Projects, March 2019 to December 2020

  • Edit and proofread course content while ensuring adherence to university standards and style guidelines.
  • Improve quality of course content through collaboration with instructional designers, SMEs, and program managers.
  • Perform quality control reviews of courses for migration to new learning object repository.

Writing Center Coordinator, December 2017 to July 2020

  • Partnered with university stakeholders to improve, expand, and promote writing center services, resulting in a 586% increase in monthly writing consultations.
  • Designed and created two self-guided courses in Canvas for 20,000 students and 600+ faculty members to facilitate university-wide transition to APA7 style guidelines.
  • Implemented an online scheduling system to monitor usage and client satisfaction.
  • Developed policies and procedures for hiring, onboarding, and training writing consultants.
  • Revised and developed 20+ instructional resources on writing center website in response to user feedback and data from Google Analytics.
  • Increased staff from five to 16 writing consultants to expand appointment availability for clients.
  • Designed and developed self-paced and instructor-led professional development courses in Canvas for writing consultants in response to needs identified in employee performance evaluations.

Visiture – October 2017 to December 2017

An end-to-end eCommerce marketing agency focused on helping online merchants acquire more customers.

Contract Medical Writer

  • Composed SEO content on various medical conditions, treatments, and procedures.

SDL PLC – April 2017 to October 2017

A multinational professional services company specializing in language translation software and services.

Contract Copywriter

  • Wrote UX/UI microcopy for the Samsung Bixby virtual assistant app, in accordance with the brand’s tone, voice, and in-house style guidelines.
  • Revised, edited, and proofread 2,000+ lines of copy in Excel on a weekly basis 
  • Conducted beta testing of chatbot by logging responses to user utterances.

Volume Public Relations – August 2015 to August 2016

A strategic communications and public relations agency focused on maximizing outcomes through science-based marketing.

Research Writer

  • Wrote 1–2 page informational briefs reviewing and synthesizing cognitive research in marketing and public relations for lay readers.
  • Composed trade magazine articles, according to APA style guidelines, on current, evidence-based public relations strategies.

Teaching Experience

CU Denver Writing Center – August 2010 to December 2017

Supervisor, August 2014 to December 2017

  • Developed, created, and revised professional development courses in Canvas focused on writing, grammar, and pedagogy for 20+ writing consultants.
  • Collaborated and networked with faculty and campus resources to provide 50+ instructional workshops and presentations per semester for students of various levels and disciplines.
  • Composed, revised, and proofread instructional resources for students and job aids for 20+ consultants.

Writing Consultant, August 2010 to August 2014

  • Developed, edited, and proofread instructional resources, web content, marketing materials, and student testimonials while ensuring adherence to in-house and university style guidelines.
  • Provided face-to-face and asynchronous writing feedback and instruction to 20+ students per week.

University of Denver, English Language Center – May 2014 to May 2016

English Instructor

  • Designed curriculum for multilingual adult learners of all languages, levels, and backgrounds.
  • Taught eight-week courses in graduate-level writing, grammar, oral communications, and reading.

University of Colorado Denver – August 2012 to May 2014

English Composition Instructor

  • Taught the fundamentals of college-level academic writing to 24 students per class in Core Composition I & II.

Pre-Collegiate English Composition Instructor

  • Taught advanced 5-week courses on the fundamentals of college-level academic writing to 22 high school students.

Consulting Work

Kelsie McWilliams Writing & Editing Services – 2008 to Present

  • Provide instructional and developmental feedback on writing in various fields and disciplines
  • Review academic manuscripts in various disciplines for concerns related to composition, such as organization, audience, continuity, and adherence to genre conventions
  • Produce creative and engaging copy that follows brand guidelines and appeals to target audiences
  • Edit and proofread for grammatical and mechanical errors as well as syntactical clarity and adherence to style guidelines

Publications

Bunaiyan, W., & McWilliams, K. (2019). Case study on school leaders’ impact on English language acquisition programs. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 7(3), 15–30.

Bunaiyan, W., & McWilliams, K. (2018). Examining ELA program reform through Theory U. International Journal of Education and Human Developments, 4(1), 1–12.

Bunaiyan, W., & McWilliams, K. (2018). A review of the literature on transformational leadership. International Journal of Education, Learning and Development, 6(1), 1–5.