Melisa Radford has over 10 years of experience as a technical writer and educator. She currently works as a Technical Writer for Ares Corporation supporting NASA's Commercial Crew Program, where she documents safety reviews and translates engineering concepts. Previously, she held writing and analyst roles at NCS Multistage, Raytheon, and United Space Alliance supporting NASA programs. She has a MA in Literature from University of Houston-Clear Lake and teaches English courses at the college level.

1. Melisa Radford
4040 San Felipe #237
Houston, Texas 77027
radford.melisa@gmail.com
(713) 882-1401
Professional Experience
Ares Corporation Houston, Texas
12/2015 – present
Technical Writer—Mission and Program Integration Contract, NASA
 Compose detailed, technical minutes for the Commercial Crew Program (CCP) Safety Technical Review Board
(STRB), which reviews the hazard reports of the providers SpaceX, Boeing, and United Launch Alliance (ULA).
 Translate aeronautical engineering vernacular and concepts into readable prose.
 Capture and articulate actions assigned during the STRB.
 Document recommended edits to the hazard report in review.
 Maintain a quick turnaround, publishing error-free minutes within a week of the session, despite the 30-day
allowance.
 Disseminate and archive proprietary minutes to secure sites, posting to SharePoint and the ISS Hazard System.
NCS Multistage Houston, Texas
09/2013 – 04/2015
Writer—Marketing and Communications
 Member of initial Communications and Marketing team for young, International company
 Edited marketing materials such as Product Bulletins, Product Services catalogs, and press releases
 Collaborated with Public Relations firm to establish and maintain social media presence
 Assisted in transition of company rebranding
 Created Standard Operating Procedures and Customer Best Practices for company with no previous
documentation
 Edited and standardized field level training materials obtained from multiple sources
 Ensured content and style consistency between all technical documentation, applying Society of Petroleum
Engineers style guide standards as well as established company and industry terminology
 Interviewed Subject Matter Experts and conducted independent research to obtain and validate content
Business Improvement Analyst
 Created and implemented processes to increase efficiency and accuracy for Finance, Human Resources, and IT
Departments.
 Generated and documented IT Asset tracking protocol
 Established and maintained relationships with vendors to ensure appropriate service during company growth
 Researched and wrote proposals for viable solutions for monetary savings regarding IT vendors and services
Raytheon – Common Ground Systems Aurora, Colorado
10/2011 – 11/2012
Configuration Management Analyst II—Joint Polar Satellite System
 Analyzed Configuration Management (CM) changes to determine overall efficacy and contract
compliance with primary NASA customer
 Liaison between engineering groups to explain, approve, and facilitate change

2.  Created, wrote, proposed, and implemented the CM process protocol for Operations & Sustainment (O&S)
resulting in increased clarity and security of material
 Developed and wrote training manuals with graphics and work flow charts for O&S and Command, Control, &
Communications Segment change control processes
 Acted as document quality control and edited engineering documents and hardware drawings for publication
 Enabled execution of on-time and error-free contracted deliverable documents to NASA customer
 Represented CM group in Six Sigma project to create a change control process for new category of
Problem Change Requests
United Space Alliance – Space Program Operations Contract Houston, Texas
06/2010 – 06/2011
Configuration Management Analyst/ Writer
 Wrote in-depth technical minutes for various engineering boards for broad audience and archival
 Assisted in determining relevant stakeholders to submit Change Evaluations for Change Requests
 Implemented changes and evaluations through CM software for Program Review Board in conjunction with NASA
 Supported Space Shuttle Program, Space Program Operations Contract, and Program Review Board:
coordinated meetings, created agendas, and disseminated material, of varying security levels, via email and intranet
 Initiated Acronym Glossary Project, creating a repository for USA writers
 Updated and managed twelve books of CM training manuals and multiple sets of metrics
 Expert use of Government Printing Office Style Manual
San Jacinto College Houston, Texas
Texas A&M University at Galveston
University of Houston Clear Lake
Alvin Community College
Harmony Public Schools
Houston Independent School District
09/2004 – 05/2010, 11/2012 – 08/2013
English Lecturer
 Taught various English courses to generationally and culturally diverse students, including English Language
Learners
 Collaborated with English department for idea sharing and to determine standards
 Provided timely, thorough feedback to students
 Created dynamic curriculum and guided students to write for specific disciplines
 Incorporated available technology into course format and assignments
 Analyzed test data to create collective and individual Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
 Expert use of Modern Language Association and American Psychological Association style guides
_____________________________________________________________________________
Education
 MA, Literature, University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2004. GPA: 3.92
 BA, Literature with Concentration in Women’s Studies, University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2002. GPA: 3.86
_____________________________________________________________________________
Computer Skills
 Microsoft Office 365, SharePoint,
Visio
 IBM Rational ClearQuest,
Lotus Notes
 Crystal Reports

3.  Adobe Acrobat Pro, FormsCentral,
EchoSign
 Global Shop Solutions  NASA eRooms
 Wordpress, Box  Xerox DocuShare  ECM Documentum