Mindy Hoffbauer

by Karen Stille

Some things are meant to be, and incoming chapter treasurer Mindy Hoffbauer was meant to be a tech writer. Her road to techcomm was, she says "a long one with many forks. I majored in more subjects than I can remember." After spending more than a decade in school, attending several colleges, earning a certificate in secretarial science as well as an A.A. in English, and majoring in English Language and Literature at Wright State University, Mindy discovered tech writing–a match made in heaven for a woman who describes herself as "the most detail- and procedure-oriented person I know."

Having found her match, Mindy proceeded to earn both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Language and Literature, as well as certifications in both professional and technical writing. She started her own business, Write Angle Consulting, Inc., while in graduate school, and recently celebrated her tenth anniversary. In those ten years, she has:

• Taught writing and computer skills for several large corporations and accounting firms.
• Written statistical software manuals and extensive help systems detailing site survey software.
• Developed Web pages for the Ohio Department of Education and Wright State University.
• Written pharmaceutical manufacturing documentation for an engineering firm.
• Written and edited corporate communications documents for a large paper company.
• Documented more procedures, processes and policies for the mortgage industry than she can count.

Mindy has worn many hats in the SWO community over the past decade. She has served as vice president, president, past president, membership coordinator, interim Webmaster, historian, Chapter Achievement Award coordinator, and a techpubs judge for competition. She was awarded the Distinguished Chapter Service Award in 2003. And she presented at the international STC conferences in Cincinnati, Orlando and Chicago.

But life is more than techcomm, even for those of us who are procedure-oriented. Mindy is an avid book lover, averaging about 80 books a year, most of them audio. She is a professional cake decorator. She and her husband Greg have been married nearly 16 years, have two children (12 and 14), and are in the midst of remodeling their current home.

"Besides owning and managing my own business, juggling multiple clients, and running two kids all over this quarter of the state," Mindy says, "I also volunteer at our kids' Montessori school as the fundraising coordinator and assistant treasurer. And I serve as one of three board members for eight different charter schools in central and southwestern Ohio." Whew!

Despite her busy schedule and numerous responsibilities, Mindy is "looking forward to increasing involvement in our chapter once again." She certainly deserves to be in our September Member Spotlight.