ERICA LEE NELSON
Education and Skills
George Washington University, Elliott School of International Affairs
International Affairs Master Degree Candidate Expected graduation date: May 2010
• 3.79 GPA with concentrations in development and South Asian studies.
• Associate Editor on the George Washington University International Affairs Review.
The Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA Bachelor of Arts (Journalism), June 2003
• Advised and founded the first newspaper for Native American reservation-based students. Taught a basic journalism class for the students involved.
• Received Merit Scholarship in 2000. Selected by administration as student delegate on faculty hiring panels.
Computer skills: InDesign, SPSS, Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Access, Dreamweaver
Languages: English (fluent) and Hindi (proficient)
Experience
Features Editor The Globalist, Washington, D.C. Sept. 2008- Present
• Served as the primary editor for the launch of a new syndicated content product for high school students, focusing on literacy in global and economic issues. This initiative won a UPS Foundation grant in conjunction with the National Peace Corps Association to recruit teachers and develop frameworks for infusing the materials into classrooms and communities around the United States.
• Managed the website of the online magazine, coordinating with high-profile authors and the editor-in-chief to plan content, edit and fact-check stories, create home pages and design layouts on daily deadlines.
• Researched and wrote syndicated features for Globalist media and corporate clients such as Shell, the U.S. Naval War College, The Boston Globe, Seattle Times, Irish Times, Courrier Japon and Die Presse.
• Initiated and completed all literary copyright acquisition with major publishing houses.
Associate Editor Inside U.S. Trade, Crystal City, VA March 2007- July 2008
• Broke stories on tensions within the Bush Administration on animal cloning policy and controversy
surrounding a U.S-China food safety agreement days before other news outlets.
• Wrote investigative articles on daily and weekly deadlines for the leading trade policy publication.
• Covered topics such as the Congressional Budget process, World Trade Organization disputes, EU genetically modified food policy, the U.S.-India nuclear deal and product safety regulations in the wake of toy recalls.
• Expanded contacts in Congress, law firms, labor groups, non-profits and foreign governments.
Freelance Reporter The Washington Times, New Delhi, India March 2005- Sept. 2006
• Reported front page stories and features as a regular stringer. Covered caste discrimination, politics, religious laws and security issues. Also produced cover stories and articles for India Today, The Telegraph, and SPAN, the U.S. State Department’s monthly magazine in India.
• Beat major U.S. news outlets on the story of emerging internal threats from Communist extremists.
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Desk Editor Businessworld, New Delhi, India Jan. 2004- Jan. 2006
• Edited stories, assisted in content planning and fact-checked for Asia’s largest English business magazine.
• Oversaw the production of and edited two full-length books of business case studies.
Summer Reporting Fellow The Poynter Institute, St. Petersburg, FL June 2003- July 2003
• Honored to be chosen as a summer writer-in-residence at the world-famous Poynter Institute for media studies.
• Studied with top faculty while collaborating with visual journalists to create in-depth local news stories.