About ProofreadingPal

Thomas received a PhD in English from the University of Iowa, where he is Special Assistant to the President for Communications and Research and teaches interdisciplinary courses. He has taught writing, literature, and interdisciplinary subjects at Cardinal Stritch College (Milwaukee), Michigan State University, and Moorhead State University (Minnesota). Tom has published essays in regional and national publications. Books include The Grace of Grass and Water: Writing in Honor of Paul Gruchow (edited collection, Ice Cube Press, 2007) and Under a Midland Sky (essays, Ice Cube Press, 2008). He has edited and proofread for Ice Cube Press and the Minnesota Historical Society Press, and he has served as manuscript reader for numerous academic journals and publishers. Tom is married and has two high-school-aged children who are active in band and other musical activities. The family also includes three rescued and retired racing greyhounds.

Julia has a PhD in English literature from Tulane University and started writing her first novel (lamentably unfinished) at the age of ten. After a twenty-year stint in academia, she became a full-time freelance editor several years ago in anticipation of the demand for professional editing services expanding greatly with the new publishing opportunities offered by her favorite thing in the world, the Internet. She has experience editing novels, dissertations, research papers, government documents, legal briefs, scientific articles, blogs, reviews, sermons, application essays, and pretty much everything in between. When not editing, reading, or writing, she can be found knitting or attending the current cultural festival in New Orleans.

Karen has a BA in art history from the University of Massachusetts, where she also received the Distinguished Scholarship in Art prize. Upon graduation, she worked for over ten years at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, where she managed archival information and rights and licensing for the museum’s approximately 50,000 black and white photographs. Karen has proofread more than 7,400 projects since joining ProofreadingPal in 2011. She has also worked as an archivist and librarian for the Patriot Ledger newspaper, which was founded in 1837. She has a published book of poems and enjoys cooking, painting, and walks with her bull terrier.

Mike has spent ten years as an award-winning daily newspaper reporter and editor, a career highlighted by the receipt of first place in the United States in the William Allen White opinion writing competition. He has also worked for more than twenty years as a freelance writer and a high school and college writing and literature instructor. He has published more than 10,000 newspaper and magazine articles and six books, including the first novel ever published about the University of Iowa's Nile Kinnick (2006). Mike holds an MA and a BA from the University of Iowa and is married to the former Mary Guernsey of Waterloo, who is also an Iowa grad. Their son, Matt, works as a sound editor for an Academy Award-winning studio in Hollywood. Mike and Mary have taught in American international schools in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Saudi Arabia, traveling nearly one million miles, visiting more than thirty countries, and working with students from more than seventy nations. And they have worked with Habitat for Humanity in India, Hungary, and the Philippines.

Alexandra has an MA in teaching from the University of San Francisco, a BA in English from the University of San Diego, and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential with supplementary authorization in English Language Arts. She obtained a copyediting certificate from UC Berkeley in 2015. Before becoming an editor, Alexandra taught elementary school. She has tutored language arts skills to students of all ages in schools, learning centers, and hospitals. She edits materials in a variety of fields, most often education and health care, and she loves counseling adult writers to create their best work. She co-authored a teacher instructional guide for an interactive classroom DVD series, and she is currently editing a children's book series on a science topic. She enjoys reading, writing, painting, yoga, hiking, and cooking.

Nicholas has a BA in English and creative writing from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver as well as CELTA certification in ESL teaching. He's currently teaching English words to cute babies in Incheon, South Korea. He enjoys writings stories, reading stories, accumulating travel stories, locking stories in his basement until they talk, and other story-related enterprises.

Sarah holds an MEd in elementary education and a BA with honors in both Russian and Slavic linguistics and English language and grammar from The Ohio State University. In addition to teaching in the U.S., Sarah has taught English at a Czech public school. Sarah is an active member of her community and has served as an elected and appointed library board member and preschool board member. When not busy proofreading, Sarah cares for her two young children and enjoys yoga, running, cooking and doing home repairs.

Valerie is a professional editor, proofreader, and writer, with a master's degree in publishing. She worked for a prominent literary agent and for three years as a Kirkus book reviewer. Valerie is proficient in Chicago style and AP. Her writing has appeared in many magazines, including the Writer, Delaware Today, Animal Fair, Westchester Magazine, the Santa Fean, and more. Valerie is a member of the Editorial Freelancers Association (EFA), the American Copy Editors Society (ACES), and the Association of Independent Publishing Professionals (AIPP). She adores all animals, especially her pug mix, chihuahua/spaniel, and cat. Fun fact? She is a former model/actress and appeared on a soap opera.

Jack grew up in Massachusetts and studied communications at Syracuse University, winning an undergraduate poetry prize. For nearly a decade he provided academic support services for Regis College, and volunteered as a tutor in the college's writing center. He later worked as a line editor for SkillSoft, an early innovator in the e-learning industry. Jack is currently a full-time freelance writer and editor; his journalism, critical writing, and short fiction have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, The Saturday Evening Post, mental_floss, and many other publications. He lives and works in western New York with his family, two cats, and a neurotic Husky.

Evan holds a BA in political science and history from the University at Albany, SUNY, and a juris doctor from the University of Iowa College of Law, where he served as an editor for the college's prestigious law review. With a background serving in the United States Marine Corps, Evan is very knowledgeable in the areas of law, politics, history, and current events.

John pursued a first career in classical piano performance, with graduate degrees from The Juilliard School and Stony Brook University, before turning to a second career in writing, editing, and communications management. He worked for 15 years at the University of California, San Francisco and for 10 years at Butler University in Indianapolis before moving in 2016 to Chicago, where he works as a freelance editor and communications consultant. John's extensive editing experience has centered around the social sciences, humanities, and biomedicine. He has edited books on federal energy policy, feminist discourse within popular culture, and contemporary Hindu-Muslim politics in India. John spends his free time tutoring ESL for adults and following the rich performing arts offerings in Chicago.

Sarah grew up in New Hampshire and currently resides in Massachusetts. She received a BA with honors from the University of Richmond in literature and languages (Spanish and French). During her junior year, she split her time between France (Avignon) and Spain (Seville) and still reflects on the life-changing experience daily. Sarah received her MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in 1997 and has worked in academic and educational publishing for over twenty years in both production and editorial roles. When she is not working on ProofreadingPal projects, she edits and proofreads instructional materials in Spanish for Cengage Learning. She has a never-ending fascination with all things multicultural, linguistic, artistic, geographic, and travel-related. Among other things, she does the Mom thing for three curious kids. They enjoy hiking in the woods with their rescue dog, Harley, and spending time together at their family cabin in Vermont.