MELISSA J. S. MORAN
 756 Derwin Road v Monroe Township, PA  18636
570-406-9296 (cell) v 570-298-2683 v
www.moranpix.com/melissa.html

 
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

I am a seasoned professional with an extensive portfolio demonstrating superior writing and design skills in both print and online media.  I am fully computer literate, with expertise in Adobe Illustrator and PhotoShop; Corel Draw and PhotoPaint; Microsoft Excel, FrontPage, PowerPoint, Publisher, and Word.  I am experienced in Adobe InDesign, Seagate Crystal Reports, Quark Xpress, HTML, JavaScript and system networking.  My experience in television and radio cultivated excellent public speaking and communication skills, while my newspaper background honed writing, proofreading, and research capabilities.  I am proficient in reading, writing, and speaking German.

CAREER EXPERIENCE 

Moran Photography and Graphic Design, Noxen, PA     2001-present  
Small Business Owner, Web and Graphic Designer  
Responsibilities as business owner include web creation and maintenance, photography and photo restoration/manipulation, print media design, personal and technical writing, copyediting and proof reading, scheduling, billing, record-keeping, tax filing, marketing and advertising 

GUARD Insurance Group, Wilkes-Barre, PA     1999-present  
Communications Representative  
Responsibilities include creating informational materials for workers’ compensation insurance company.  Tasks involve extensive use of computers to design brochures, documents, and web pages; manipulate photographs and graphics; produce company newsletters; write form letters and update memos; and coordinate press releases.

DemandStudios.com     2009-present
Writer
Responsibilities include writing and submitting informational and instructional articles for websites including eHow.com and LIVESTRONG.com.  Requirements include excellent writing, research, organizational, and time-management skills, and the ability to complete each assignment while following strict guidelines for content, length, and construction.

Examiner.com, Denver, CO     2009-2010
Writer
 Responsibilities included writing and posting frequent, topical articles and photographs relevant to readers in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area on examiner.com.  Requirements include excellent writing, research, organizational, motivational, and marketing skills.

The Citizens’ Voice, Wilkes-Barre, PA      1995-1999      
Editor/Journalist  
Paginated pages for daily newspaper (30,000 circulation) including headline writing, layout, copyediting, and proofreading, often while running night city desk.  Also developed feature sections and covered meetings, community events, and breaking news.

WILK 910/980 AM, Pittston, PA    1993-1995   
News Anchor  
Wrote news copy, conducted interviews, and coordinated public service announcements.  Performed commercial spots and live, on-air bits for 98.5, WKRZ and Froggy 101, WGGY.

Loyal Christian Benefit Association, Erie, PA     January-May 1993    
Marketing Assistant  
Helped create, design, and market promotional material for life insurance company during paid internship.

WMXE-103.7 FM, Erie, PA     1992-1993      
Commercial Producer/Disc Jockey  
Produced commercial spots and hosted weekend air-shifts.  

Pension Christl, Salzburg, Austria     May-August 1992      
Hotel Guest Relations Coordinator  
Worked with multi-cultural staff to help hotel guests absorb Austrian culture and advise them of local sights, cuisine, currency, transportation, history, and culture. 

WEYZ-1330 AM, Erie, PA     1991-1992     
 News Anchor/Talk Show Host  
Anchored afternoon drive newscasts, including writing news copy and conducting interviews.  Booked and interviewed guests for weekly radio program, Sunday Edition. 

WETG-Fox 66, Erie, PA     1989-1992    
Assistant Traffic Manager/Talk Show Host/Executive Producer  
Coordinated placement of commercial spots in daily television log. Booked guests, scheduled airdates, conducted interviews, and supervised crew of 11 for daily TV series, Erie Daytime.  Also voiced all station identification spots.

EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Gannon University, Erie, PA     1989-1993
B.A. Communication Arts v Minors:  German and English
GPA:  3.7

Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, PA     2000-2001
Business courses including Accounting, Statistics, and Financial Management 
Maintained 4.0

King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, PA     2000-2001
Computer and business courses including Managerial Economics and Front Page 
Maintained 4.0  

Penn State University, Lehman, PA     2000-2001
Computer courses including Web Security, System Networking, Javascript, and HTML 
Maintained 4.0

American Institute for Charter Property Casualty Underwriters     2011-2013
Insurance courses completed in pursuit of Associate in General Insurance (AINS) include AINS 021 - Property and Liability Insurance Principles and AINS 023 - Commercial Insurance
 

LEADERSHIP, VOLUNTEERISM, & AWARDS
 
v Coordinator and Lead Designer, Evans Falls Elementary School Yearbook, 2008-2011
v Coordinator, Evans Falls Box Tops 4 Education Committee, 2008-2011
v Volunteer, Evans Falls Parent Teacher Organization, 2008-2011
v Volunteer, Wilkes-Barre Chamber's Community Reading Day, 2008-2011
v Member, American Mensa, 2001-present
v Member, Kappa Gamma Pi, graduate honor society, 1993-present
v Award Recipient, 1996 Society of Professional Journalists Keystone Chapter, Spotlight Contest Honorable Mention for team coverage of Wyoming Valley Flood Crisis
v Volunteer, St. Luke’s Church, Noxen, 1984-present
v Vice President, Gannon chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, leadership society, 1992-93

 

REFERENCES AND SAMPLES AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST