THE WHELAN GROUP is a faculty of widely experienced business writers, workshop facilitators and editors.

Michael Whelan, President, is founder of the Whelan Group and creator/designer of its flagship program, Ten Secrets to Powerful Business Writing.  The seminar is based on his 30 years of hands-on experience as a professional business writer working extensively with top management. Michael began his career as associate editor of The Gallagher Presidents' Report, a hard-hitting New York business news weekly targeted to corporate chief executives. He subsequently managed marketing communications at MCI Telecommunications, where he worked on design and marketing of the first telephone calling card in the telecom industry.

In addition, Michael has taught business writing at the University of Virginia and has been president of Washington Independent Writers, the largest metropolitan group of professional writers in the U.S. He has also served as Secretary on the  International Finance Corporation's Investment Committee (composed of the Corporation's senior management). In that position he has minuted senior management reviews and  decisions on billions of dollars of IFC worldwide investments annually.

Darcie Kortan, Senior Associate, holds an MFA in Writing and teaches business writing, business communications, diversity in the workplace, and management at the university and graduate level. She has taught in the MBA program at UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business -- one of the top business schools in the U.S. -- and on the faculty at Marist College in New York.

Darcie is co-creator of the high-tech-industry version of Whelan Group's Ten Secrets to Powerful Business Writing. Her experience in the high-tech sector includes three years at Xinet, a Berkeley, California software company, where she worked in both technical writing and training. She has also worked as Creative Manager at Catchword, a San Francisco Bay Area naming and branding firm with an extensive high-tech clientele. At Catchword, she generated thousands of names for clients, including Microsoft, Oracle, AT&T, and Pepsi. Through the Whelan Group, she continues her work as a consultant for corporate identity, creating corporate names and taglines.

Joseph Chamberlin, Senior Associate, brings to the Whelan Group more than 25 years of organizational development and training experience. He has designed and delivered oral and written communication workshops as well as management development programs both in the U.S. and internationally. He is also a skilled facilitator at engaging employees in helping to shape organizational plans and policies.

Chamberlin has presented programs for, among others, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Casualty Insurance, Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, Catholic Relief Services, American Radiology Services, CARE, and the Loyola College MBA Fellows Program.

Cynde Sears, Senior Associate, has worked more than 25 years in teaching and training, helping students and clients to improve their understanding of a range of disciplines and ideas and providing them with skills to demonstrate that understanding.   

Ms. Sears comes from a truly multi-disciplinary background.  She has an undergraduate degree in science and a graduate degree in public policy, and has had careers as a research scientist, classroom teacher, and technical consultant.   

Applying instructional design methods and theories, she has prepared and delivered thousands of hours of training on a wide range of topics to diverse audiences.  She is especially good at working closely with her clients to ensure that course content, tone, and delivery method meet their needs.   

Her courses have addressed personnel management skills for Department of Defense managers; hazardous waste management requirements for state and Federal environmental staff; Plain English requirements for regulators and rule-writers; and risk management/business continuity planning for non-profit organizations. 

Ben Walker, CEA*, is one of the nation's premier technical/medical/military scriptwriters, with more than 600 scripts and a shelf full of awards to his credit. His clients include Johns Hopkins, all Armed Services, U.S. Postal Service, NIST, DEA, FBI and dozens of industrial organizations.

Along with a knack for making difficult subjects—such as pulsed field electrophoresis—easy to understand, he is skilled in editing, rewriting and otherwise shaping text into smooth-flowing, interesting copy that explains, motivates and makes people remember.

Ben has a degree in chemistry and served three years on a destroyer as a naval officer. He brings good, fresh ideas to any writing or editing project and is fun to work with. He's currently studying Chinese and learning how to juggle. *CEA: Can Explain Anything

Frances Aubrey, with 15 years of writing and training experience, has worked with over 40 businesses and nonprofits including three of her own companies in training, writing, administration, communications, sales, and marketing. Beginning in 1990, she designed and presented interactive personal communication seminars for two years. In 1992, she became an editor with Montgomery County, MD. And in 1997, she launched her business as a communications consultant.

Currently, she writes for a wide variety of clients including Escapade Advertising, Catalpha Advertising, St. Vincent de Paul, Villa Maria School,St. Agnes Hospital, and International Marketing Systems Inc.  

Barbara Harrelson has for more than 25 years worked in all facets of business writing, editing and communications. Her clients have included major organizations such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the American Bar Association, and the AFL-CIO's Public Affairs Institute. She also has writing expertise in the health and education sectors as well as in scripting national public service advertising.

Working in communications at the American Bankers Association, Harrelson helped train bankers as industry spokespersons and also worked as a public relations planner and news media liaison—all of which she draws on as a business writing instructor. From 1994 through 1997, she was a member of the Board of Directors of PEN New Mexico.