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Constance Billé of LRA Worldwide to Speak at Society for Technical Communication Event
LRA's Director of Organizational Development and Training to Address Washington, D.C. Chapter
HORSHAM, Pennsylvania/WASHINGTON, District of Columbia; March 13, 2006 - Constance Billé, M.Ed., the Director of Organizational Development and Training for LRA Worldwide, Inc., will participate in the Society of Technical Communication's annual Career Forum. The event, sponsored by the STC's Washington, DC chapter, will be held at the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA) in Arlington, VA on Saturday, March 18th; the program will run from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The Career Forum serves a dual purpose of providing a platform for networking and career advancement, as well as a focus on various disciplines within the technical communication field. Billé, with more than 25 years of experience in developing curriculum and instruction materials for a wide variety of industries, will discuss Instructional Design as a career option, how to prepare for entry into the discipline and how to maintain professional skills within the discipline. The other topics and presenters are as follows: Beth Martin of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (Usability), Kathryn Summers of the University of Baltimore (Information Architecture) and Laura van Dam, the President of the National Association of Science Writers (Science Writing).
In her current role at LRA, Billé heads the firm's organizational development and training practice. A crucial element of LRA's "Customer Experience Management" Methodology is the implementation of sophisticated training, "culture-building" and leadership development initiatives designed help align companies and their human capital around the delivery of an optimal customer experience. Information architecture, instructional design and communications strategy are integral to not only the content development and implementation processes, but also the long-term adoption and sustainability of a CEM program.
"We are excited to have a professional of Constance Billé's expertise and diverse background to participate in the Career Forum and interact with our membership," said Kristen Sweet, Vice President of the STC's Washington, DC chapter. "Ms. Billé has applied her craft across a wide range of industries and companies, from healthcare to professional sports. Sharing these experiences with our membership will help illuminate the many and varied applications of technical communications in general, and information architecture in particular."
Prior to joining LRA, Billé worked in a variety of organizational development positions, both as an internal and external resource for companies seeking unique and lasting ways to effect organizational and/or behavioral change. Most recently, she served as the Leader of Instructional Design for NewtonEdge, an eLearning agency for the pharmaceutical industry; Billé led the design, development and delivery of a variety of cutting-edge programs for Pfizer, Genentech and Bristol-Myers Squibb. Before NewtonEdge, she served in senior instructional design positions for AT&T Learning, Towers Perrin, SAP America and IMS Health. Billé also spent several years as an independent consultant in technical writing and instructional design, counting MBNA and the DuPont Institute as clients, among others. At LRA, Billé is working on client projects with Live Nation, the NBA, Albertson's Supermarkets, Shea Homes and Kampgrounds of America, among others.
Advance registration is required for this event by Tuesday, March 14 at 5:00 PM. Space is still available for $20 for STC members, $25 for nonmembers. For registration information, visit the STC website at www.stcwdc.org/prgm_mar06.shtml or e-mail Kristen Sweet at events@stcwdc.org.
About the Society for Technical Communication
STC is an individual membership organization dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of technical communication. It is the largest organization of its type in the world. Its 18,000 members include technical writers and editors, content developers, documentation specialists, technical illustrators, instructional designers, academics, information architects, usability and human factors professionals, visual designers, Web designers and developers, and translators - anyone whose work makes technical information available to those who need it.
Society membership provides opportunities for ongoing learning and professional networking. Through the efforts of a small, full-time staff and a large network of volunteers, STC promotes the public welfare by educating its members and industry about issues concerning technical communication.
About LRA Worldwide, Inc.
LRA Worldwide, Inc. is a leading consulting, organizational development and research company that specializes in Customer Experience Management (CEM). LRA helps companies and brands design and deliver the optimal customer experience across all key touch points using an integrated suite of services that measure and improve service quality, customer satisfaction, employee performance, loyalty, customer advocacy and profitability. LRA specializes in "operationalizing the brand" - turning brand promise and customer strategy into operational reality. LRA's CEM practice areas include CEM Strategy Design, Standards Development & Content Management, Organizational Development & Training, Research and Quality Assurance & Mystery Shopping; these are either deployed together in a strategic manner to continually monitor and improve the customer experience or deployed individually to address a specific tactical client need.
LRA's clients include some of the world's leading companies and brands, including Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hard Rock Hotels & Casinos, the PGA TOUR, Albertsons Supermarkets, the NBA and First Niagara Financial Group. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.LRAworldwide.com
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