Trainer

I have more than 5 years of experience as a university lecturer at the Faculty of Arts and Science at the University of Aruba, teaching classes on political development, human rights, and interdisciplinary approaches to research. I have also developed and delivered a range of different in-person and online courses, tailored to organizations’ needs. Over the past 5 years, I have most often provided customized training on different types of content writing, personal marketing, and results-based reporting, for clients such as UN Women, Internet Society and the Centre for Lifelong Learning.

“Where Jen shines is when she teaches. She’s empathetic and understanding but still able to guide students with the authority and confidence needed to learn. If you’re looking for a trainer on storytelling, speech writing, or how to craft compelling arguments – Jen is a must! I will happily and always recommend Jen – she’s an incredible person to work with and invaluable to an organization’s bottom line.”

—Lia Kiessling, Senior Director of Community Mobilization, Internet Society (and former Senior Director of Strategic Communications at Internet Society)

Stories about my training:

Firoza’s* anonymized photo and story were included in a recent photo exhibition of Afghan women. Photo: UN Women/Sayed Habib Bidell

Read this story about the impact of my training for UN Women with Afghan women in 2023/2024.

Web specialist

Do you need someone to update your website? Edit or rewrite web content for clarity and impact? Audit your existing website? Create special projects, pages or sites?

My services:

editing or rewriting web texts for clarity, audience and impact
posting or uploading content to your website, and producing it attractively
creating special editorial packages, new pages, or a completely new website
preparing detailed site audits with strategic advice on how to maximize your reach

In a site audit, I evaluate and suggest ways to improve your website’s:

layout and/or design
structure
navigation
usability
ranking and SEO
formatting
use of images or other media elements
text for style and readability

I believe that content and usability are the key drivers of a website’s success. I’d love to help you maximize your website’s potential. Contact me to discuss your needs.

My experience:

I didn’t study computer science, and I am not a web ‘designer’ or ‘developer’. But I have used several content management systems, I know HTML and some CSS and I’ve been posting since 2003.

I maintained my own professional freelance website as a foreign correspondent from 2003-2007.
At UN-ECLAC, I posted content to the website using a complex CMS.
With the UN Human Rights Office, I conceived, structured, worked with student designers, populated and launched a comprehensive multilingual website, with no budget and in just six month’s time.
At UN Women, I worked with colleagues to come up with the concept, structure and content of the Beijing+20 campaign microsite and helped produce it.
I posted to the UN Women global website daily and a produced a variety of multi-page editorial packages, which creatively integrate impact stories, infographics and multimedia content.
In collaboration with two other colleagues, I prepared more than a dozen site audits for UN Women’s regional and national portals.
During my time as Web Editor, UN Women’s web traffic more than doubled, as did time spent on our pages.
I built and maintain the website you’re reading now, on WordPress.

An expert web strategist and story-teller, Jen played a lead role in introducing new story types and content formats which contributed to the growth of yearly unique visitors to the global website, and to visitors staying longer. Her excellent results reflect her skill in producing dynamic material rich in visual assets, such as Women and the SDGs, that showcased our work with precision and clarity. We could depend on her for all aspects of production—from research, to drafting, ensuring translation quality, posting content and live webcasts—with absolute efficiency. A thorough professional, in addition to producing new content, she took care to update statistics and other static pages, which others may have overlooked. Friendly, passionate and driven, Jen was a great asset for our team and highly valued by the organization.

—Oisika Chakrabarti, Senior Communications and Media Specialist, Communications and Advocacy Section, UN Women

See some samples of my work from my web portfolio:

[portfolio display_types=true display_tags=false include_type=websites columns=3 showposts=9 orderby=title]

Strategist

Need help getting media attention? Planning and promoting your online content? Engaging people through social media? Or coordinating overall communications?

My services:

Let me help you figure out what to say, when to say it, and how to say it to make an impact.

I can develop a variety of different types of communications strategies to meet your needs, such as:

Media
Social media
Web production and/or dissemination
Public information
Content marketing
or all of the above…

The right strategy helps you communicate your message widely, efficiently and effectively. My advice includes:

Tips to generate traffic and boost user/client online engagement;
Content marketing ideas (including topics for blogs, campaigns, social media posts, etc.);
Schedules for content delivery (including where, when and how often to post);
Suggestions for recycling content;
Key messages to help market your organization (ideal for promotional material, interviews, etc.);
Tips for building targeted contact lists or databases;
Media plans include guidance on organizing events, placing op-eds or guest blogs, coordinating interviews, etc.

Contact me to arrange a quote, or discuss a potential project.

My experience:

With UN-ECLAC, I developed a communications strategy for the Information Society Programme and engaged high-level governmental and private sector stakeholders.
With the UN Human Rights Office, I devised a media and communications strategy for a new Regional Office for South America. I also helped forge a regional communications strategy, along with other colleagues. My social media strategy included the creation of, and regular posting to, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube accounts. I also implemented a successful social media campaign, which engaged the general public as well as well-known personalities across the region to record videos identifying themselves as human rights defenders.
At UN Women, I focused on producing, positioning and promoting our content online, to maximize impact and visibility. I engaged new audiences through proactive outreach and cross-posting on other portals and community blogs. I also provided strategic editorial and web advice to colleagues in the field. During my time as Web Editor, traffic to our global website more than doubled.

I met Jen Ross in Panama City in 2009, where we –Geneva HQ– began working more closely with OHCHR public information colleagues from across Latin America to spearhead a regional communications strategy. Her creativity, drive and dedication stood out from the beginning, along with her command of Spanish, English and Portuguese, and became an invaluable asset for our outreach activities in both traditional and social media. Practical and forward-thinking, Jen played an instrumental role in shaping OHCHR’s coms strategy for South America, and putting it into practice. She was quick to draft and issue effective press releases from her regional office, as well as to translate and share relevant communiqués with colleagues. In addition, Jen contributed human interest stories and videos for global use. She also took part in our global training and strategy session in Geneva, demonstrating her wide set of Coms skills. Jen was always a well-liked and respected team member, completely at ease in OHCHR’s high-pressure and multicultural environment.

—Xabier Celaya, Communications Specialist, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

When joining our team in 2007, Jen infused new ideas and direction into our work. She helped us to design, structure, and promote our communications strategy. She also worked on political liaison and built crucial networks throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, some of which still exist and thrive. It was a pleasure working with Jen. She is communicative, friendly, flexible and empathetic, while professional, capable, efficient, driven, extremely dependable, punctual, and reliable.
—Professor Martin Hilbert, Department of Communication, University of California, Davis (former supervisor at UN-ECLAC)

Copywriter

Do you need lively, precise and action-inspiring content?

My services:

When you hire me, you get: SEO-friendly, keyword-rich texts for your website or blog; creative and compelling words for books or scripts; fresh and strategic copy for reports, social media, videos, media outreach, etc. Whether for media, an international organization, a non-profit, or a business of any size, I can help craft and draft your message!

I write:

Content for your website
Press releases
Blog posts
Social media posts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.)
Articles (including advertorials, op-eds, contributed copy)
Newsletters
Flyers and brochures
Radio or video scripts
Substantive reports
White papers
Annual reports
Case studies
Speeches
Letters
Email blasts

If you need help writing any kind of content, contact me now!

My experience:

I have more than 20 years of experience as a writer:

more than 12 years writing feature stories, news articles and scripts for various media (1995-2007);
more than 10 years writing exclusively for the United Nations (2006-2016);
more than 8 years writing academic essays and papers (1995-2002, 2004, 2006);
more than 1 year writing fiction (2016-present)

“Jennifer worked in the development of case studies and impact stories as a consultant for the Internet Society. She always gets to the heart of the story, depicting the impact complex issues have on people. She follows up with every single source to confirm information, and her language skills make her an asset to work with global issues and audiences. Jennifer is the best at working on a schedule, always delivering excellency. She’s one of the best consultants I’ve ever worked with.”

—João Paulo de Vasconcelos Aguiar, Project Lead and Communications Expert at the Internet Society

“Jen is a great writer who gives a compelling narrative voice to all her stories and is always keen to emphasize the human angle. … Jen is a reliable, flexible professional who will always go the extra mile to deliver top quality services, and she is an absolute pleasure to work with.”

—Carlotta Aiello, Print Production and Branding Specialist, Communications and Advocacy, UN Women

“Jen Ross is multilingual, meticulous, knowledgeable, creative and a brilliant writer. I got to know her when she was an undergraduate and have followed her career ever since. … I recommend her with enthusiasm. She’s an exceptional talent.”

—Catherine McKercher, Professor Emeritus, Carleton University

Editor

Does your copy need a thorough check or polish?

I edit:

Documents and publications of all kinds
Articles, press releases and other communications material
Web texts (homepage, landing pages, blogs)
Reports and proposals
Scripts and manuscripts
Resumes and coverletters

My services:

Copyediting

I review and adjust your content for correctness and consistency, including:

Grammar and spelling (including of names)
Punctuation
Tone and style
Wordiness
Sentence and paragraph structure
Formatting
Ensuring all hyperlinks work

Substantive editing

I do all the above, plus I look at the whole, editing for:

Clarity (is your point being communicated clearly?)
Intention (are you communicating what you really want to?)
Audience (are you writing for you audience?)
Wording (are there better ways to phrase certain parts?)
Quotes or dialogue (are these used effectively?)
Organization and relevance (should certain content be expanded, moved or removed)
Pacing and flow (does it read well or is it clunky in parts?)
Structure (does your argument, information or story line need restructuring?)
Attribution and basic fact-checking (is data and information verifiable?)
Citations (are references consistent, and in line with your chosen style?)

Proofreading

Proofing is normally done after editing and layout, as the last step before you publish. Here I look for overall consistency and any inadvertent repetition. I double-check all text and design elements, including:

Titles and subtitles
Page numbers
Spacing, word and paragraph breaks
Graphics or infographics
Placement of design elements
Photo captions and credits
Ensuring all hyperlinks work
References and footnotes

Contact me for my rate sheet, to request a quote, or to discuss a potential project.

My experience:

As an editorial consultant for various United Nations and international organizations, including Internet Society and the Economic Research Forum, I have copyedited, proofread and provided substantive editing for countless publications, donor reports, briefs, policy papers, annual reports, web stories and other content.
With The Globe and Mail in Toronto, I interned as a copy editor, proofreading all stories before they went to print, checking key facts and writing headlines.
With UN-ECLAC, I was editor of a quarterly newsletter on the information society (in both English and Spanish).
With the UN Human Rights Office, I produced pamphlets and fact sheets, as well as editing, laying out and coordinating printing of a 16-page quarterly newsletter.
As Web editor for UN Women’s global website for nearly four years, I did substantive editing on hundreds of news and feature stories; copyedited hundreds of speeches and press releases, in three languages, and proofread hundreds of briefs, reports and translations.
At UN Women, I also conceived and edited dozens of comprehensive “In Focus” packages, including infographics, photo essays and other multimedia content. I innovated by coining new editorial series, such as: “From where I stand”, “A day in the life of…” “Expert’s take” and “In the words of…” blogs.
As an consultant for Internet Society, and for several UN clients (including the ILO, UNDP and UN Women) since January 2018, I have provided substantive editing, copyediting and proofreading on scores of documents and lengthy publications.

Jen is our editor for the Women Count Data Hub, where she both writes and edits data-driven stories. She also our substantive editor for our annual report and many other publications. She has the ability to get to the heart of the substance, and she is so thorough that I am always confident in the quality of the work we publish. She will check every source to confirm its veracity, and is able to turn a jumble of facts into a well-crafted story. She is able to switch with ease from a journalistic writing style for articles to a more technical style for reports. She is also very quick and responsive, with a turnaround time that helps me meet any deadline. I don’t publish anything that has not passed Jen’s editorial eye. I recommend her for any editorial and writing job.

—Mika Mansukhani, Outreach Specialist, Women Count programme, UN Women

Jen undertook her role as the Web Editor of UN Women’s global website (www.unwomen.org) with remarkable professionalism and expertise, continually and consistently producing attractive, diverse and high-quality content in spite of a heavy workload and time pressures. Leveraging the great relationships she built across the organization, she demonstrated her ability to guide colleagues to get the best stories from the ground, and bring them to fruition. Through her thorough and substantive editing, she provided detailed feedback and guidance on an ongoing basis, boosting our staff capacities. A detail-oriented proofreader and copyeditor who knows her style guides inside-out, she quickly became our go-to communications resource and was integral to projects such as UN Women’s Annual Report.

—Oisika Chakrabarti, Senior Communications and Media Specialist, Communications and Advocacy Section, UN Women

At UN ECLAC, Jen created popular regional newsletters with meticulous attention to detail, substance and reader interest. She also provided thoughtful analysis during meetings and conferences, caught errors and brought up important questions, for example when reviewing chapters of substantive publications, which on more than one occasion led authors to refocus or change direction.

—Professor Martin Hilbert, Department of Communication, University of California, Davis (former supervisor at UN-ECLAC)

Jen is a great writer who gives a compelling narrative voice to all her stories and is always keen to emphasize the human angle. She is also a very meticulous line-editor, thoroughly familiar with the UN editorial conventions and well-versed with the challenges of gender-sensitive, gender-inclusive writing.

—Carlotta Aiello, Print Production and Branding Specialist, Communications and Advocacy, UN Women

Translator

Do you need translation or live interpretation from English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Papiamento?

My services:

I offer translation or live interpretation for the following languages:

English-to-Spanish
Spanish-to-English
French-to-Spanish
French-to-English
Portuguese-to-Spanish
Portuguese-to-English
Papiamento-to-English
Papiamento-to-Spanish

My writing, reporting, editing, strategy and website review services are also available in both English and Spanish. A rate sheet is available upon request.

Contact me for more information about translation, interpretation or multilingual editorial services for your organization.

My experience:

Multilingual since childhood, interpretation has always come naturally to me. I also took language and translation courses in university.
As a foreign correspondent, I translated all my own content, regularly interviewing people and covering stories in both Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries across South America.
At UN-ECLAC, I obtained my language proficiency certificates (also in French). I translated press releases or newsletters from English-to-Spanish, and vice-versa.
At OHCHR, I wrote and translated editorial and briefing material between English, Spanish and Portuguese on a daily basis. This included interviewing, drafting stories, maintaining a trilingual website, and writing social media posts. I also did Spanish-English interpretation and vice versa during high-level visits.
At UN Women, I wrote and translated headlines, teasers and other brief content in English, Spanish and French. I also proofread all outsourced translations in these three languages before posting them online.

Quite uniquely, Jen is not simply proficient in English, Spanish and French; she can also translate, edit and proofread, in adherence to UN standards, in all three languages. Jen is a reliable, flexible professional who will always go the extra mile to deliver top quality services, and she is an absolute pleasure to work with.

—Carlotta Aiello, Print Production and Branding Specialist, and Focal Point for Translations within the Communications and Advocacy Section of UN Women

I met Jen Ross in Panama City in 2009… Her creativity, drive and dedication stood out from the beginning, along with her command of Spanish, English and Portuguese, and became an invaluable asset for our outreach activities in both traditional and social media. … She was quick to draft and issue effective press releases from her regional office, as well as to translate and share relevant communiqués with colleagues. … Jen was always a well-liked and respected team member, completely at ease in OHCHR’s high-pressure and multicultural environment.

—Xabier Celaya, Communications Specialist, UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Author

I loved writing since grade school, but thought it would be impossible to make a living writing fiction. So I studied journalism, the next-best thing. After a long and fruitful career in media and with the UN, I finally dared to chase my dream, taking more than a year off to passionately hash out my first novel, a contemporary feminist young adult collection of interconnecting short stories from around the world, a number of which have already been published in literary magazines, along with my poetry:

My publications:

Three of my poems appear in The Caribbean Writer, Volume 38. December 2024. Pp. 96-100. One of these poems, “A New World Order”, was awarded the The Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize for a new or emerging writer.

My creative non-fiction story, Come back to tell me, based on my retelling of my grandmother’s experience, was published in Issue #69 of New Myths, December 2024.

My poem “Los sentidos de mi patria chilena” appears in Azahares Literary Magazine, 2024. Pp. 46-47.

My two poems by Jen Ross Laguna, appear in Aloka Magazine, 13 February 2024.

Three of my hybrid prose poems/flash fiction pieces were published as a suite, Fragments of my father, in Defenestrationism, December 2023. My suite was a finalist in the Defenestrationism Flash Suite contest 2024, and selected through voting as a “Fan Favorite”.

My short story, Macho Mama, appears in the Latin American Literary Review, Vol. 50, Issue 101, October 2023.

My poem, Seasonal flow, appears in the Woods Reader, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Fall 2023.

My short story, Toy soldiers, appears in LatineLit, Summer 2023.

My short story, Before she can begin, appears in Mslexia Magazine, Issue 98. June 2023.

My short story, Pageant Queen, appears in the Arlington Literary Journal, Issue 170. January 2023.

My short story, Bloody shame, appears in Isele Magazine, January 2023.

My poem, The penny pinchers, appears in Last Stanza Poetry Journal, Issue 11. January 2023.

My poem, Reluctant bride, appears in descant, Vol. 61. 2022.

My poem, Not quite exile, appears in the other side of hope, Vol 2. Issue 2. Winter 2022.

My short story, Correction, appears in the Evocations Review, Issue 3.2. Fall 2022.

My short story, Wed, appears in the Global Youth Review, Issue IV. Summer 2022. Pp. 32-45.

My poem, The Mongolian Patch, appears in Better Than Starbucks. August 2022.

My flash fiction story, Leaving Aleppo, appears in The Pine Cone Review, Issue 4. June 2022.

My novellette, The Chasquis, a time travel romance set in Incan Peru, was published in the Everlast anthology by Dragon Soul Press. March 2022.

Three of my poems were published in the Culture & Identity anthology, Volume 1. The Poet Magazine. February 2022.

My awards or recognitions:

My poem “A New World Order” won the Marvin E. Williams Literary Prize by The Caribbean Writer and will be published in its Volume 38 edition in December 2024.
Three of my creative non-fiction/poetry hybrid pieces published as the “Fragments of my father” suite were finalists in the Defenestrationism Flash Suite contest 2024, and selected through voting as a “Fan Favorite”.
My short story, “Silent Protest” received an Honourable Mention in the International Human Rights Art Festival Creators of Justice 2022 Award.
My poem, “The things Dad left behind” was longlisted for the Plough 2022 Poetry Prize.
My short story, “The Chasquis” received an Honourable Mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the Future Contest for the 2nd quarter 2022.
My unpublished debut novel, Girls Engaged, was longlisted for the Mslexia Novel Competition 2017.

Follow my author’s page on Facebook.

Reporter

Do you need an interview? A great blog, news story, feature or investigative report? Journalism training?

I’m a highly educated journalist with more than 20 years of experience and hundreds of stories published or broadcast in various media around the world. I can interview in five languages, and write or produce stories in three.

My services:

Interviewing

Whether in-person, via Skype or by phone, I can conduct interviews and deliver them to clients as recordings and/or transcriptions. This service is available in multiple languages (English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Papiamento), with translation also available.

Writing or producing

Whether for media outlets, industry magazines or institutional newsletters, I can write journalistic articles or produce radio segments or documentaries tailored for your audience. These can be ghost-written without a byline for organizations or corporate clients. This service is available in English, Spanish or French. Production work can be done remotely or on-site, including ‘fixer’ work.

Reporting workshops or coaching

I offer classes or workshops on news gathering and writing, either in person or via webinar. I can also provide one-on-one training, remotely or on site.

Contact me about an assignment, or for more information about interviewing, reporting or training services.

My experience:

I specialize in producing social and political features and documentaries, but I’ve covered everything from local news, to travel, science and entertainment, as well as international conflicts, disasters and elections.

While based in Chile, I spent four years as a freelance foreign correspondent for various international news outlets. I reported and produced multimedia stories from across South America for newspaper, magazine, web, radio and television media—in English, Spanish and French. I did documentary-length projects as well as live news. I traveled extensively and maintained my own company and website. My regular clients included: BBC World Service (Radio and TV), CBC (Radio and TV), National Public Radio, Radio Exterior de España (RNE), the Globe & Mail, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Independent, Toronto Star, Christian Science Monitor, El Mercurio, etc.
See my portfolio.

Prior to moving to Chile, I was the Senior Researcher at CBC Television’s Parliamentary Bureau in Ottawa, serving Canada’s premiere newscasts, Newsworld and The National. I’ve had contracts or internships as a national reporter for Southam News Service (in Ottawa), as a reporter and copy editor at the Globe and Mail (in Toronto) and as a local reporter with the Edmonton Journal (in Edmonton).

At UN Women, I did interviews, event reporting and human impact features, but the bulk of my work involved editing stories by staff around the world, most of whom were not journalists. I prepared writing guidelines and provided one-on-one coaching and training throughout the writing and editing process, to build staff capacities. I also mentored and supervised more than a dozen interns throughout my career at the UN.

I have developed and given a 6-week reporting workshop as well as a 4-week blog and non-fiction writing workshop through the Centre for Lifelong Learning at the University of Aruba. I also teach regular classes in Human Rights, Political Development and Disciplinary Studies at the University of Aruba.

Jen Ross is multilingual, meticulous, knowledgeable, creative and a brilliant writer. I got to know her when she was an undergraduate and have followed her career ever since. I was so impressed by her work as a Santiago-based freelancer that I interviewed her for a journalism textbook I co-wrote. She is a fearless reporter, determined to get the story. At the same time, she is sensitive and attuned to the complexities behind the story. She also has expertise in editing, translation and strategic communications. I recommend her with enthusiasm. She’s an exceptional talent.

—Catherine McKercher, Professor Emeritus, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University

Jen Ross was a solid freelancer for the Miami Herald when she lived in Chile, provided about 10 stories for the newspaper. Good work, on time.

—Juan Tamayo, Writer El Nuevo Heraldo (former Foreign Editor at the Miami Herald)

Jen Ross

Storyteller. Editor. Strategist for hire.

Services

Trainer

Stories about my training:

Web specialist

Do you need someone to update your website? Edit or rewrite web content for clarity and impact? Audit your existing website? Create special projects, pages or sites?

My services:

My experience:

See some samples of my work from my web portfolio:

Copywriter

Do you need lively, precise and action-inspiring content?

My services:

My experience:

Editor

Does your copy need a thorough check or polish?

I edit:

My services:

Copyediting

Substantive editing

Proofreading

My experience:

Translator

Do you need translation or live interpretation from English, Spanish, French, Portuguese or Papiamento?

My services:

My experience:

Author

My publications:

My awards or recognitions: