Maureen Charles
Writer and Editor, Owner

Maureen Charles has two passions: writing and teaching. After 11 years as Chief Operating Officer and Director of Distance Learning for McGrath Training Systems and 27 years in the education and training field, Maureen opened her Wordshop, an endeavor that fulfills on both passions.

A skilled and intrepid researcher, Maureen is at home writing just about anything and her technical writing clients range from small business owners to aerospace engineers. She is also a highly experienced and effective trainer and public speaker -- writing and presenting material that is as engaging as it is informative.

Maureen has written and designed educational programs of all kinds - from live, instructor-led courses to self-propelled online learning - for a variety of industries and audiences.

Her success as an educational sales manager gives every client a unique advantage. Knowing that even the best content must be sold, she is always asking, “How will this project stand out in a crowded marketplace?” 

Ms. Charles collaborated with author, trainer and school law attorney Mary Jo McGrath on the research, writing and editing of School Bullying: Tools for Avoiding Harm and Liability (Corwin Press, 2007) and associate produced two video series: The Early Faces of Violence: From Schoolyard Bullying and Ridicule to Sexual Harassment (7 videos) and Lead with SUCCEED (6 videos).

A magna cum laude graduate of Marquette University, she holds Honors Degrees in both Communications and Spanish Language and Literature. As an undergraduate, she studied at the University of Madrid, Spain, and her first teaching position was in bilingual education.

A strong believer in community service, Maureen volunteers on the Board of Directors of Aid Still Required and runs marathons for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. A leader of life-altering programs in community leadership, she has trained thousands of people in transformational approaches to consensus building, establishing projects and initiatives that make a difference to the quality of life in their communities.

Maureen is married to Jon Charles whose 40 year resume as an arranger and composer for television, films, and live performances reads like a Who's Who in entertainment. The couple collaborates on original songs and parodies to accompany instructional materials as well as for birthdays, anniversaries, and other occasions.

Maureen Charles is an AOE Featured Web Entrepreneur. Read the AOE Interview with Maureen.

Partial client list: Corinthian Colleges, edu1world.org, Edu-Innovation Systems, Iris Technology, McGrath Training Systems, MediaRebel, Music Mania, TransAd, and yourhomework.com.

"A well written life is almost as rare
as a well spent one."
 --  Thomas Carlyle

When clients require more in-depth technical work or musical talent, Maureen contracts the services of these extraordinary collaborators:

Jill Proudfoot
Multimedia and Instructional Designer, JLP Media

After 11 years as a successful elementary school teacher, multimedia expert Jill Proudfoot earned a Master's Degree in Instructional Technology from Ohio State University. Jill delights in the opportunity to combine her knowledge of pedagogy and differentiated instructional strategies with the latest technological innovations.

Clients of Jill's multimedia consulting and design firm, JLP Media, include ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara City College, the Santa Barbara News-Press Ed Web, Monster.com-Making It Count, Department of Defense Education Activity, and the UCSB Gervirtz Graduate School of Education among others.

For those projects lacking an in-house multimedia design and delivery team, Maureen brings Jill and her team at JLP Media on board. The two have worked effectively together on a wide variety of projects since 2003.

Jon Charles
Songwriter

Emmy Award winning arranger, composer, and lyricist Jon Charles was born and raised in New York and attended the School of Performing Arts (Fame!) and Indiana University. His studies were interrupted when he was drafted, whereupon he served in a number of United States Army bands as a drummer/percussionist/arranger. Upon his return to New York, Jon served as music coordinator and chief arranger for The Dick Cavett Show.

In 1974, Jon moved to California where he wrote arrangements for Doc Severinsen’s Tonight Show Band, Louie Bellson’s Big Band Explosion, and The Carol Burnett Show. He’s had a long association as an arranger/orchestrator with The Grammy Awards, A Capitol Fourth, and The Kennedy Center Honors. TV series he’s orchestrated for include Homefront and Picket Fences. Movies he’s orchestrated for include The Jerk, Racing with the Moon, Falling in Love, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Clean Slate, Forrest Gump, and Selena.

A few of the many singers for whom Jon has arranged are: Julie Andrews, Louis Armstrong, Fred Astaire, Judy Garland, Janis Joplin, Michael McDonald, Groucho Marx, Frank Sinatra, The Pointer Sisters, The Three Sopranos, Annie Lennox, Rufus Wainwright, Dr. Seuss, and Kermit the Frog. He served as music director of the Sha-Na-Na television show for four years and contributed symphonic accompaniment for their concert act.

Jon is a past President and current Board Member of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers. Since 2005 he has worked as an orchestrator for the hit television series American Idol.