English Judges
Janice (Ginny) Redish, Lead Judge
Ginny Redish has been a passionate evangelist for plain language for many years. Through her consulting practice, Redish & Associates, Inc., Ginny helps clients plan, organize, design, write, and test all types of communications. Ginny is a charter member and former Board member of the Center for Plain Language. Ginny’s pioneering work in plain language has brought her many awards, including the Center's first award as Outstanding Plain Language Leader in the Private Sector. She is particularly pleased that the official United States definition of plain language comes from her work. Reviewers rave about Ginny’s most recent book, Letting Go of the Words – Writing Web Content that Works, now in its second edition (2012). She has also written or co-written numerous articles and book chapters, as well as two of the classic books on usability. Ginny is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and holds a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Harvard University.
Leah Katherine Saal
Dr. Leah Katherine Saal is an Assistant Professor of Literacy at Loyola University Maryland, School of Education. She teaches graduate courses in literacy education and research. Saal is informed by her ongoing experiences teaching literacy to adults and older students in and out of school settings in urban communities. Leah Katherine's research agenda focuses on the intersectionality of literacy and social justice within community literacies, and her recent research assessed the clarity of U.S. government food assistance applications post Plain Writing Act. Saal serves on several international and national editorial review boards for adult and adolescent literacy/learning journals. This year, she serves as the co-editor of Literacy & Social Responsibility, a journal of the International Literacy Association.
Shannon Salinsky
Shannon Salinsky is an aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Hailing from Grapevine, Texas, Shannon writes national policy and guidance for FAA field inspectors. She is a plain language subject matter expert and a trainer for classes and conferences within the FAA. In her personal life, Shannon’s work is published in regional and national magazines, and she is a staff writer for Society Life magazine. Shannon earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of North Texas.
Jo Anne Schwendinger
Jo Anne Schwendinger joined the Pittsburgh, PA, office of Blank Rome LLP, in August of 2016. Her practice focuses on cyber security and data governance, and corporate and commercial transactions. Prior to joining Blank Rome she held in-house legal positions at Deere & Company, including as head of Deere’s data and information management practice, and as Regional General Counsel Asia-Pacific and Sub-Saharan Africa. A native of Miami, Florida, Jo Anne has an undergraduate degree from the University of Avignon, France, and a Master’s degree from the University of Strasbourg, France. Her law degree is from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, where she was Managing Editor of the Law Review.
Sherry Scott, Lead Judge
Sherry Scott’s consulting experience ranges from the top of an oil storage tank to the corporate boardroom. From U.S. university classrooms to international corporate classrooms in Europe, Australia, and the Far East, she has taught business management and communication. In addition, Sherry worked as a corporate Human Resources Director where she was involved in all areas of human resources. She also edited an industry award-winning newsletter. Dr. Scott’s training programs range from full company curriculum to short on-site workshops. Her topics include business and technical writing, speaking and presenting, multicultural communication, and gender communication. A past president of the Association of Communication Consultants, Sherry holds a Ph. D. from The University of Maryland, College Park, MD in Instructional Design and an M. A. from The American University, Washington, DC in English. She was a judge for the 2015 WriteMark New Zealand Plain English Awards.
Debby Seid
Debby Seid combines her background in Physical Therapy and Education (including teaching ESL to adults), to focus on health literacy and plain language. Debby currently works for a large home health agency doing quality, compliance, and education, and takes on additional work, both within her healthcare system and outside it, to assist on health literacy projects, copy editing, and being a champion for plain language in every aspect of healthcare. Frequently flummoxed by instructions from dentists, veterinarians and others, Debby just wants everyone to put the patient or client in the center of the room. Debby is a graduate of U.C. Davis, has been a Physical Therapist for over 35 years, and holds an M.A. from San Francisco State University in Language and Literacy Education (emphasis Adults).
Katherine Spivey
Katherine Spivey serves the General Services Administration’s Plain Language Launcher, coordinating GSA’s plain language program. She is also co-chair of the Plain Language Action and Information Network (PLAIN) as well as a trainer, teaching plain language courses for Digital Gov University and numerous federal agencies. Katherine works for GSA’s Federal Acquisitions Service’s Integrated Technology Services, where she manages Web content, coordinates social media, and edits Mary Davie’s blog, Great Government through Technology. Before joining GSA, Katherine was a Web content manager at the Department of Homeland Security, Web content editor at international law firm Steptoe & Johnson LLP, and websites manager at the International Association of Chiefs of Police. She has taught at local community colleges and at the Amphibious Warfare School in Quantico, Virginia. She has an M.S. in English from the University of Virginia and a B.A. in English from the University of Mary Washington.
Paul Strickland, Lead Judge
Paul retired in 2013 from the European Commission where he was head of the Editing Service. His other job was to run the Commission’s Clear Writing Campaign, which he launched in 2010. The Campaign - and the associated Clear Writing Awards - is still going strong and is now in its sixth year. Paul is a graduate of Oxford University where he studied Modern History and Modern Languages. Besides editing, he has worked in a number of different fields including accountancy, international trade, teaching and translation. He also spent four years as a European Union diplomat in Australia. Paul lives in Brussels, Belgium and is married with two grown-up children.
Spanish Judges
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