Positions Held
College Essay Writing Instructor (2016-Present)
House of SpeakEasy, New York, NY
The Center for Fiction, Brooklyn, NY
Legal Outreach, Astoria, NY
Summerfuel CAP Columbia, New York, NY
- Work intently with high school juniors and seniors on their essays for college. (i.e., personal statements, supplemental essays, short answer responses, etc.)
- Help students identify what aspects of their character they want to bring forth in their college essays and how to tell their story in an authentic voice.
- Lead a College Essay Workshop for House of SpeakEasy’s SpeakTogether program at LaGuardia High School in Manhattan in partnership with Union Settlement’s College Readiness Program from July 10–Aug 4, 2023.
- Instructor for a two-week summer college essay writing intensive through The Center for Fiction in July and August of 2021-2023.
- Designed a 15-hour college admissions essay writing course for students from all over the globe as part of Summerfuel’s CAP Columbia program held at Columbia University in July 2017, 2019, and for the 2020 Summerfuel Virtual program.
- Prior students have been accepted at Bates, Baruch, Brown, Columbia, Cornell, Fordham, Hampton, Harvard, Marist, Middlebury, Northwestern, NYU, Princeton, Smith, Syracuse, UPenn, URochester, University at Albany, Williams, Wellesley, Yale, and more.
Creative Writing Instructor (2015-Present)
Sunnyside Arts, Sunnyside, NY
The Astoria Bookshop, Astoria, NY
Spence School, New York, NY
The Center for Fiction, Brooklyn, NY
- Host a monthly Sip & Scribe evening of creative writing for adults at Sunnyside Arts.
- Conceived and taught creative writing workshops with varied themes at The Astoria Bookshop for the local community.
- Designed and facilitated a myriad of interactive creative writing activities for fifth and sixth graders at the Spence School, participating in the extended day program.
- Led the NEA Big Read close reading and personal narrative writing workshop through The Center for Fiction for students in grades 10 through 12, focused on A Lesson Before Dying in 2021 and Beloved in 2022.
- Contact me at kjfitzsimmons@gmail.com for more information about group workshops or private coaching.
Freelance Editor and Proofreader (2015-Present)
Educational Testing Service (ETS), Ewing, New Jersey
Provide editorial support for the development of the new 2020-21 AP Chinese and AP Japanese Exams: Setup and Administration Guide and the Advanced Placement (AP) Program’s summer curricular publications, produced in conjunction with the annual AP Reading.
- Drive content delivery and production deadlines for multiple AP subjects simultaneously.
- Develop and maintain relationships with a variety of subject matter experts to ensure strict adherence to ETS and College Board editorial guidelines across all deliverables.
- Provide “fresh eyes” proofreading and editorial reviews for other team members.
Adjunct Faculty (2015-2020)
Fairleigh Dickinson University, Madison, NJ
Adjunct Instructor in the Creative Writing department and the College Writing Program teaching Introduction to Creative Writing and English 1101: College Writing Workshop.
- Develop syllabus and learning sequence for the course.
- Instruct students in the fundamentals of creative and academic writing through lectures, close reading, low and high-stakes writing assignments, written feedback, and class discussion.
- Proficient in teaching online and hybrid courses.
Adjunct Instructor (2016-2019)
York College, Jamaica, NY
Adjunct Instructor in the English Department teaching Introduction to Creative Writing, Composition I: Introduction to College Writing, and Composition II: Writing About Literature.
- Develop syllabus and learning sequence for the course.
- Instruct students in the fundamentals of creative and academic writing through lectures, close reading, low and high-stakes writing assignments, written feedback, and class discussion.
- Proficient in teaching online and hybrid courses.
Director of Publications (2017-2019)
Palisades Convention Management, Inc., New York, NY
Manage the production and delivery of a variety of conference publications (program, exhibit guide, lecture notes, brochures, etc.) in both print and electronic formats.
- Created and maintained a comprehensive publications calendar, coordinated editorial rounds between both internal and external stakeholders, and managed the external printing vendor.
- Collaborated with seminar presenters and short course instructors to oversee the development of abstracts, presentation notes, and website content to effectively communicate the scientific significance and value of the sessions to the attendees of The Society for Information Display’s annual Display Week conference.
- Led discussions on appropriate publication innovations (enhanced or additional content, the transition to digital formats, etc.) and executed appropriately.
Associate Director, AP Program Information (2007-2015)
The College Board, New York, NY
Writer and editor for publications and communications essential to the Advanced Placement exam administration, as well as for marketing efforts for new AP initiatives. Aligned content to AP strategic messaging, style, and branding. Provided direction to content developers, designers, and web developers.
- Communications lead for AP Computer Science Principles; developed and maintained a strategic communications plan for this brand-new AP Course. Planned and provided editorial reviews for marketing and operational communications to support the launch of this course.
- Oversaw key mailings to schools, including the AP Participation mailing, Response mailing, AP Scholar Award mailing, and AP Score Report mailings for districts and colleges. Reviewed and approved all content. Edited for clarity and accuracy as needed.
- Coordinated the production of the annual AP Program Guide and Bulletin for AP Students and Parents. Identified and distributed content to pertinent subject matter experts for their review, consolidated edits, and managed the external design vendor.
- Provided editorial support for the production of all communications for the annual AP Reading, including the AP Reader website, Information Guides, and Pre-Reading and Reading Manuals.
- Spearheaded Spotlight on Success: Strategies for Equity & Access, interviewing schools across the country and writing their success stories for a motivational resource designed to help educators reach underserved students and strengthen their AP programs.
- Project manager and proofreader for 2007, 2008, and 2009 Annual AP Report to the Nation and supplemental state reports.
Registration Associate (2005-2007)
The College Board, New York, NY
Managed the registration process for all professional development workshops and conferences in the College Board’s Western Region.
- Processed over 10,500 registrations and $900,000 in payments annually.
- Trained and managed regional assistants in registration activities.
- Expeditiously and accurately addressed registrant inquiries.
Outreach Educator (2005-2006)
Arts for All, New York, NY
Taught after-school workshops on improvisation, creative writing, and Shakespeare to students in grades K-12.
Director and Education Artist (1999-2003)
Shakespeare & Company, Lenox, MA
- Directed student productions of Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and As You Like It.
- Taught Shakespeare workshops for teachers and K-12 students throughout New England.
Education
Shakespeare & Company, On Teaching Shakespeare, Professional Development Workshop, 2017
Fairleigh Dickinson University, MFA, Creative Nonfiction, 2012-2014
New York University SCPS, Certificate in Publishing, 2009-2010
Writers Boot Camp Think Tank, Two-Year Screenwriting Program, 2006-2008
Shakespeare & Company, Summer Training Institute, 1999
University of Central Florida, BFA, Theater, cum laude, 1995-1999