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Resumé

More than 20 years of experience.

 

As a full-time lecturer at North Carolina State University, Christa teaches "Introduction to News and Article Writing" and "Introduction to Editing" in the English department's journalism minor. Before that, she spent six years teaching at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's School of Media and Journalism.

 

Professional Background | Awards & Recognition | Education | Memberships

Professional Background

Background

Lecturer

North Carolina State University

2018 to present

Teaching four courses in the English Department's journalism minor ("Introduction to News and Article Writing" and "Introduction to Editing") both online and in person and mentoring students in the internship program. Panel participant and small-group leader for incoming freshman summer reading program (Fall 2019) to feature "Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah. 

Adjunct Professor

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

2013 to 2019

Adjunct professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's School of Media and Journalism and North Carolina State University, teaching "Writing and Reporting" and "Introduction to Editing."

Freelance Writer
1999 to present

 

  • Editorial: Writing and editing for Raleigh Magazine, Golfdigest.com, the Raleigh News & Observer (Tar Heel of the Week column), Our State, The Cary News (columnist), Cary Living, Pinehurst Magazine, Midtown Magazine, Southern Weddings, New Homes and Ideas, North Carolina State University’s Accolades magazine and several national trade publications.
     

  • Corporate: Writing and editing services of all kinds, including blogs, website copy, bylined articles, social media posting and more.

    Clients have included North Carolina State University, Tilson Public Relations, the City-County Bureau of Identification (book-for-hire), Girl Scouts of America, Victory Pharmaceuticals, Smithfield’s Chicken and Bar-B-Q, the Association of Kentucky Fried Chicken Franchisees (managing editor) and the World Council of Credit Unions (book editing).

     

  • Educational: Worked as a "Writer in Residence" for local schools through the United Arts Council of Raleigh & Wake County (Carroll Middle School, St. Timothy’s, Grace Lutheran School, St. Raphael Catholic School) focusing on journalism, creative writing and preparing students for the state’s annual standardized writing test. Nationally, writing standardized test passages for middle school students through MetaMetrics, Inc.  

 

Editor-in-Chief
Raleigh Magazine, Raleigh, NC
2015 to 2016

Helped launch Raleigh Magazine as its editor-in chief, working with the publisher, creative director and freelance writers to build a monthly city magazine that reports a hybrid of news and lifestyle stories across all platforms, similar in scope to Atlanta Magazine.

Assistant Marketing Editor
Tallahassee Democrat, Tallahassee, FL

1998 to 1999

 

Responsible for editing and designing the Homes section distributed weekly with the Sunday Democrat. Duties included: Designing cover story and all inside pages, importing photos and wire text, writing captions and headlines, editing copy, coordinating photo shoots and freelance writers, compiling real estate charts and writing stories for several publications.

 

Advertising/Public Relations/Copywriting

1994 to 1998

 

Worked as a media buyer for McKinney & Silver (Raleigh, NC), in public relations for the Grand Hyatt Regency (Cincinnati, OH) and as a copywriter for Fringe Benefits Management Company (Tallahassee, FL)

 

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Awards & Recognition

Awards
  • First-place winner in North Carolina Press Club competitions (2006-2011) and the National Federation of Press Women (2010, 2011)
     

  • Four magazine feature articles placing in Writer’s Digest 79th Annual National Writing Competition (2010)
     

  • Contributor for four Chicken Soup for the Soul books: "The Christmas Gift," "Tales of Christmas" (November 2010), "New Moms" (March 2011) and "Parenthood" (March 2013)
     

  • Award-winning blog, GRIN
     

  • Hurricane Maria aftereffect coverage in Puerto Rico (March 2018) earned the 2018 David Teeuwen Student Journalism Award.

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Education

Education
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC

B.A. in Journalism and Mass Communication (1994)

 

North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC                                 

M.A. in English/Creative Writing (2008)

 

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Memberships

Memberships
  • Triangle Area Freelancers

  • North Carolina Press Club

  • National Federation of Press Women

 

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