Academic information
I received my Ph.D. in Technical Communication and Rhetoric from the Department of English at Texas Tech University in May 2004. I also hold a Master’s in Computer Systems from Universidad La Salle, in Mexico City, and a B.A. in Communication from the Instituto de Ciencias Sociales de Mérida (ICSMAC), in Yucatan, Mexico. My academic formation —spanning communication, rhetoric, and computer systems— shapes my current work at the intersection of content strategy, automation, and AI, where I examine how human communicators design, structure, and maintain their relevance in increasingly automated information environments.
Research interests: Content operations and automation; structured authoring (DITA, Lightweight DITA, Markdown); AI and algorithmic interpretation of human-authored content; technical communication pedagogy; the role of human communicators in AI-driven information environments.
Links
- My “official” webpage on the Virginia Tech College of Liberal Arts and Human Science
- My GitHub profile (full of weird experiments and half-abandoned LwDITA monsters).
Student committees
- Amilia Evans (Rhetoric and Writing), “Possibilities for Making Institutional Change: An Institutional Critique of Diversity Discourse at a Predominantly White Institution.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated Spring 2023.
- Emma Baumgardner (Communication). Master’s thesis (committee member).
- Allison Hutchison (Rhetoric and Writing), “Assessing the Feasibility of Online Writing Support for Technical Writing Students.” Doctoral dissertation (committee chair). Graduated May 2019.
- Tana Schiewer (Rhetoric and Writing), “The Nonprofit Mission Statement as Genre: Speech Acts, Social Facts, and Ecologies.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated Fall 2017.
- Jessica Beckett (Rhetoric and Writing), “Negotiating Expertise: The Strategies Writing Program Administrators Use to Mediate Disciplinary and Institutional Values.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated Spring 2017.
- Ivette Valenzuela (Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences), “Community-based Lifestyle Intervention for Underserved Hispanics with Pre-Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes in Southwest Virginia.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated Fall 2015.
- Brittany Hoskins (English), “The Rhetoric of Commoditized Vulnerabilities: Ethical Discourses in Cybersecurity.” Master’s thesis (committee member). Graduated May 2015.
- Kathleen Kerr (Rhetoric and Writing), “The Plain Writing Act of 2010: Implications for the Transcultural Writer and User of U.S. Government Documents.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated Fall 2014.
- Sanglin Lee (English), “A Pedagogical Model for Realigning the Priorities in Technical Communication between Industry and Academia.” Master’s thesis (committee chair). Graduated May 2014.
- Rebecca Zeitz (Computer Science). “TechCommix: A Tool and Foundation for Rethinking and Restructuring Technical Documentation.” Master’s thesis (committee co-chair). Graduated May 2014.
- Ben Hanrahan (Computer Science), “Getting Lost in Email: How and Why Users Spend More Time in Email than Intended.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated Spring 2015.
- Alex McCarthy (English), “The Language of MySpace and Facebook: Identity Construction with the Personal Profile.” Master’s thesis (committee chair). Graduated May 2013.
- Ashley Patriarca (Rhetoric and Writing), “Articulating Risk Communication: Assessing the User Experience of OSHA Grantee-Produced Training Materials.” Doctoral dissertation (committee chair). Graduated May 2013.
- Matthew Sharp (Rhetoric and Writing), “Organizational Identity-Power in Practice: The Rhetorics of University Identity.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated May 2013.
- Tim Lockridge (Rhetoric and Writing), “Beyond Invention: How Hackers Challenge Memory and Disrupt Delivery.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated May 2012.
- Anthony Allevato (Computer Science), “‘A Data-Driven Approach to Transforming Computer Science Education.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated June 2012.
- Chris Carroll (English), thesis on updating content about intercultural ethics in business and technical writing courses. Master’s thesis (committee chair). Graduated August, 2010.
- Chad Wingrave (Computer Science). “A Reflection-Inspired and Language-Derived Formalism for Overcoming 3D Interface Design Complexity.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated August, 2008.
- Emily Davis (English). “XML Version of the Dictionary of Love.” Master’s independent study (second reader). Graduated May, 2007.
- Olgamary Rivera-Marrero (Mathematics). “The Place of Discrete Mathematics in the School Curriculum.” Doctoral dissertation (committee member). Graduated May, 2007.
- Miranda Jones (English). “Basic Writing and Computers.” Master’s independent study (second reader). Graduated May, 2005.