Karen Markle

I was Secretary of this Local from October 2011 to April 2012. I was acclaimed Secretary again in February 2016. Many thanks to Katrina of Kinburn Farms for stepping up this year and taking over the position of Secretary.

Associate member of the National Farmers Union, Local 362 from December 2006 – present - promoted the principles, policies and values of the NFU in their advocacy for family farms - attended provincial and national conventions and reported back to the Local - organized attendance and staffed the booth at fairs (e.g. Ottawa Eco-Stewardship Fair www.ottawaecofair.ca) and trade shows (e.g. Ottawa Valley Farm Show www.ottawafarmshow.com) - in 2015, the International Plowing Match was held in our Local

I worked on a web app called the Education Information System (EIS) which, over its development lifetime, brought First Nation education reporting requirements from flat forms (PDF, paper and fax) to an n-tiered, data management application for this sensitive, Protected B information. To support communities with limited Internet connectivity, I contributed suites of user documents. I worked closely with the development and training teams to provide all manner of support material. I worked in close co-ordination with the development team to improve usability, and with the on-site translator to maintain language consistency. Duties included: • created bilingual user documentation and training materials; • worked with the business analysts, developers and testers to ensure thorough description of functionality and processes in order to develop implementation documentation including release notes; • used a bug tracking tool to document and follow up on defects in the software and to respond to defects in the interface and my documentation; • gathered information concerning the features and functions provided by the business analysts and developers and investigated the accuracy of the information by using the application in order to create and document online Help text, user standards and manuals, and technical documentation following the standards and guidelines developed for the Government of Canada regarding the Common Look and Feel initiative, Official Languages, Federal Identity Program and user Accessibility; • made sure to protect sensitive student information by enforcing the required security as determined by the Privacy Act; • scoped, edited, corrected, revised and approved documents and content releases; responsible for delivery of all written materials, including pre-print evaluation of annual guidelines for camera-ready copy; • verified translated documents to ensure accuracy and consistency of language;

One-on-one English instruction at the Intermediate level

I was part of the Web and Applications Development Services team and was responsible for reverse engineering old applications that had never been documented and creating user guides and technical reference guides for the following: • Cabinet Documents Tracking System • Governor in Council Appointments Database • Ministerial Appointments Database • Gift Bank Database • Performance Tracking System • Taxi Chit Information System • Young Canada Works Database Application • Directorate of Arts Development and Programs Application PCH upgraded Hummingbird DM from version 5.1 to 5.2. I translated the French guide that had been written by an IT professional into English and then restructured for logic and usability. I applied CLF 2.0, Federal Identity Program and Accessibility guidelines and practices to all the above documents.

I taught 50 beginner ESL students in Sardinal, Guanacaste, Costa Rica. I had recently been certified to teach English as a second language and took a six-week practicum in Costa Rica. I discovered a passion for teaching that I never suspected existed. If I could blend the two activities, writing and teaching, I believe I will have found my dream job. If possible, I would welcome the opportunity to facilitate training or community information sessions as part of my job.

I worked with the eSubmission development team for Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office (CAVCO), a secure, online tool for film producers to apply for Canadian Content tax rebates from Canada Revenue Agency; the programs are the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC) program and the Film or Video Production Services Tax Credit (PSTC) program.

I worked on the Integrated Capital Management System (ICMS) which tracks all aspects of asset management, from initial project proposal, to funding, to inspections, and more. The focuses include all federally funded assets in general, and water treatment systems, housing, and schools in particular. I worked closely with the training team to provide all manner of support material. I also worked in close co-ordination with the development team to improve usability.