1. Denise L. Ritter
6923 Wilson Street
West Mifflin, Pa. 15122
(412) 913-6914
DeniseLRitter@gmail.com
deniselritter.wordpress.com
Career Objective
I am searching for a long-term career with an organization that encourages creativity, with people who are
passionate and excited about their work.
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Communications Bethany College Bethany, W.Va.
Work Experience
Branded Quality Control Specialist Matthews International
Packaging Project Manager Pittsburgh, Pa.
2005 – present
At Matthews—a $700M publicly traded company—I supervise labeling and packaging for North America’s
largest supplier of distilled beverages, as well as for international products sold in other languages. I am solely
responsible for regulatory content on all packaging.
• Project Management
o Execute brand re-design and rollout, typically encompassing a minimum of 80 items
o Manage supplier qualification with China-based metal closure manufacturer
o Create estimates for the client, including all aspects of projects (artwork, pre-press, color
management, prototypes, proof creation and press-side approval attendance)
• Quality Control
o Ensure compliance with federal and state regulations
o Maintain consistency within large (500 or more pieces) projects
o Create guidelines for colleagues and conduct training sessions
o Proofread packaging for international products, in more than 30 languages
Editor University of Pittsburgh Press
Production Coordinator Pittsburgh, Pa.
2001 – 2004
For one of the nation’s largest public research universities, I oversaw several aspects of production—from printing
to retail distribution—of approximately 50 academic, historical and fine arts books per year.
• Editing
o Edited scholarly books for compliance with Chicago Manual of Style
o Reviewed and edited marketing pieces
• Financial Management
o Quoted projects with various suppliers
o Maintained price-per-unit information at project completion
o Generated purchase orders and managed vendor payments
• Personnel Management
o Managed vendors throughout projects
o Supervised interns and student employees
2. Assistant Production Manager Dorrance Publishing
Artwork Coordinator Pittsburgh, Pa.
1999 – 2001
While working for America’s leading subsidy publisher, I worked directly with first-time authors, helping to both
create original illustrations and hire artists for about 700 book-length manuscripts annually. Later, I maintained
production schedules and ensured timely delivery of each new title.
• Project Management
o Planned progress of manuscripts through each aspect of production
o Managed expectations, overall process and timelines with authors
• Editing
o Edited manuscripts
o Reviewed and approved all jacket copy
• Personnel Management
o Worked with numerous freelance vendors to coordinate workload, deliverables and payment
o Managed a staff of 10 production employees
• Layout and Composition
o Photographed and designed a 32-page company brochure
o Designed advertising, corporate identification and branding pieces
o Designed book covers
Alumnae and Collegiate Services Coordinator Kappa Delta Sorority
National Headquarters
Memphis, Tenn.
1998 – 1999
I maintained membership records and generated contact lists for one of the nation’s largest women’s organizations,
representing more than 200,000 members at 140 colleges and universities. In addition, I also organized special
events and handled travel arrangements. (From 1999 to 2002, I served as a volunteer advisor to Kappa Delta
chapters at Bethany College and the University of Pittsburgh.)
• Personnel Management
o Managed traveling consultants
o Coordinated hiring of traveling consultants
o Advised collegiate chapters on sound financial practices
• Event Management
o Assisted chapters with all aspects of membership recruitment
o Co-created a junior alumnae association for recent graduates in Memphis, and planned several
events for this new organization
• Photography
o Photo essay published in national magazine
o Photographed several events, including national council, collegiate chapter colonization at the
University of Memphis and membership recruitment events at Rhodes College
Other Experience
Proofreading
Mt. Lebanon Magazine, 2002 – present
Carnegie Mellon University, 2009 – present
References and Portfolio
Available upon request
