Your New EBSTC Leaders

The new East Bay Chapter leadership introduce themselves…

Joe Humbert
President

My background is actually in physics, with a B.S. and an M.S. from Cal State University at Los Angeles. In the mid-1980s, I started a homegrown software company, Kidbit Software, featuring educational software for the then popular Commodore machines. I wrote the programs, user guides, brochures, and advertising copy. I am now the co-owner of a child care center, where I do the accounting and write the monthly newsletters, parent guidelines, employee contract, brochures, and advertising copy. I have created and maintain our website, http://www.berniceandjoeplayschool.com. In addition, I am under contract to produce and maintain the website for PARC, Preserve Area Ridgelands Committee, http://www.ridgelands.org.

I have earned a Certificate with Distinction in Technical Communication
from UC Berkeley Extension in which I had the great fortune to take my
very first class from Gwaltney Mountford. I have been an STC member
since 2002 and have been an active member of the East Bay STC. I have twice judged in the Touchstone competitions. And for the last three years,
I have helped to keep the chapter’s website up to date and have been the chapter’s treasurer.

Helen Cheung
President-Elect

Born and raised in the Bay Area, I graduated from California State University, Hayward with a B.A. in Psychology. I began as a programmer analyst, but found that I enjoyed writing more than working with data and code. I decided to take a leap into the technical communication profession, and made a career change. I completed a Certificate in Technical Communication through U.C. Berkeley Extension. I joined STC in 2005,
and immediately became active in the East Bay STC Chapter (serving as V.P. of Programs in 2005-2006).

I am currently a Technical Writer/Senior Consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, a global strategy and technology consulting firm. My current client is the Department of Defense, specifically the Navy.

As President-Elect and a fellow East Bay Chapter member, I look forward to meeting new people, learning new things, working with the leadership team, and having fun.

Gwaltney Mountford
Treasurer

I've been working in technical communication for over 25 years as a writer, trainer, manager, and consultant. My husband and I own Mountford Group Inc., a software development consulting company specializing in developing custom business applications and data warehouse applications. Working in a range of industries, my contributions to my clients include everything from end-user documentation to product development support to user interface design and development.

An STC Associate Fellow, I remain active at all levels of the Society. I was chapter president and treasurer (in the 90s), managed Touchstone and a Region 8 Conference, and served on the Society Nominating Committee. I currently am an active member of the Triage sub-committee of the Leadership Resource Committee. One of my favorite STC activities is to present at local chapters and at regional and international conferences.
For fun, I enjoy reading, traveling, and gardening.

Lis Fraser
Vice President: Programs

I have been managing customer documentation departments for over 25 years in both Canada and the Silicon Valley. My experience covers a range of industries from data collection hardware and custom application software, and client/server financial software, to particle accelerators, satellite image processing systems, and retail software. I've been employed by a variety of companies (Epic Data, Orbital Sciences, Intuit, and Hyperion Solutions, to name a few) and specialize in managing small and productive customer-focused documentation teams. For the past five years I have been managing the technical writing team at Adaptec, Inc. in Milpitas.

A senior member of the STC since 1985, I look forward to bringing in interesting and relevant speakers to the EBSTC, meeting new people, working with the leadership team, and having fun. I especially look forward to eating the tasty food at the chapter meetings.

Jeanie Egbert
Vice President: Arrangments

I've been playing around with the Internet since 1982, long before the Web was a maniacal gleam in anyone’s eye. I've been a computer programmer, analyst, teacher, and writer. I contribute well-researched and finely-worded features to my local newspaper, along with the occasional erudite commentary (okay, sarcastic diatribes!). Every member of my family believes I am a wonderful writer.