1. Tara Houlihan 210.624.1652
9270 Ridge Post, San Antonio, TX 78250 linkedin.com/in/tarahoulihan
tarahoulihan416@gmail.com
SUMMARY
Organized, enthusiastic manager with extensive digital and print publishing experience who believes that
ambition and kindness are not mutually exclusive. Genuine, eager leader who achieves excellent results by
inspiring team members’ trust, commitment, and confidence. Exceptional skills in:
• Writing & Editing • Process Improvement • Project Management
• Communication & Collaboration • Team Building • Content Management Systems
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
CTB/McGraw-Hill, Remote employee 2014–2015
Managing Editor
Managed several large content and editorial teams to ensure high quality and timely publication of materials.
Empowered virtual team members to work independently and under tight deadlines. Improved employee morale
and retention by managing through change. Oversaw editorial workflow for and reviewed test questions,
passages, ancillary products, manuals, study guides, and specifications documents. Developed and refined end-to-
end processes including copyediting, content licensing, and user acceptance testing (UAT) in order to support
delivery of excellent digital content on multiple devices.
• Refined established processes to allow for continued quality while reducing editorial review time by 25%.
• Won trust of direct reports and senior management, improving morale during difficult restructuring period.
• Established and implemented internal UAT processes, resulting in a dramatic decrease of costly customer-
facing issues.
• After identifying process gaps, designed and implemented an ongoing quality-control process for final data.
Pearson, Remote employee 2012–2014
Product Manager
Created and owned vision, release schedule, marketing plan, and P&L for online assessment product. Responsible
for ongoing competitor and market analyses, which influenced business decisions to maintain and grow the
product. Authored and reviewed RFP proposal text and demonstrated final solutions at oral presentations.
Packaged content in HTML and XML formats to support various content management and assessment delivery
systems. Created and delivered implementation and professional development materials.
• Modernized product and gained market share by overseeing new content development, doubling the volume
of content within two years.
• Designed and implemented product’s business model, allowing for broader product usage and simplified
sales process.
• Managed alignment of over 60,000 test questions to Common Core and state standards.
• Opened new sales channels by implementing third-party distributorships, increasing revenue by over 60%.
2. Pearson, San Antonio, TX 2005–2012
Managing Editor
Hired, trained, and supervised internal editorial team and external vendors and writers. Worked closely with
cross-functional teams to guide hundreds of documents from manuscript through to final publication. Managed
editorial workflow for and reviewed test questions, passages, ancillary products, manuals, study guides, and
specifications documents. Communicated and collaborated with school-, district-, and state-level customers.
• Gathered requirements for and assisted with the implementation of new content management system (CMS)
and related workflows, drastically reducing product development time.
• Trained internal editorial staff and offshore vendors, monitoring their work and gathering metrics to inform
continuous process improvement.
• Consistently met deadlines and quality expectations, resulting in promotion from Assistant Editor to Senior
Editor to Managing Editor within three years.
Palo Alto College, San Antonio, TX 2003–2005
English Instructor
Fostered student understanding of composition and literature through innovative classroom discussions and
activities. Reviewed student portfolios and provided detailed feedback to improve quality of student writing.
• Formulated innovative and technology-driven lessons that challenged students to become critical thinkers.
• Established rapport and encouraged collaboration with students and faculty, resulting in consistent positive
student, peer, and supervisor performance reviews.
EDUCATION
Master of Arts, English Literature and Language 2001
St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX
Thesis: From “Her” to “It”: The Demythification of Ireland through Modern Realism
Honors: summa cum laude
Bachelor of Fine Arts, Theatre Studies 1999
University of Texas, Austin, TX
Honors: magna cum laude
AWARDS AND PUBLICATIONS
Award: “Customer Focus” award, Pearson, 2011. Recognition of dedication to meeting customer needs.
Award: “Pearson Talent Program” member, Pearson, 2008. Leadership program that trained top 10% of
employees to be future company leaders.
Presentation: “‘Out of My Mouth Springs Toads and Snakes’: Language as Power in Luisa Valenzuela’s
Symmetries,” Latina Letters Conference, 2001.
Presentation: “Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll: Demythification through the Urban Narratives of Roddy Doyle,” Irish
Studies Conference, 2001.
Publication: “‘I Want! I Want!’: Transcendental Epiphanies in Saul Bellow’s Henderson the Rain King,” Saul Bellow
Journal, September 2004.