User:Penlite

Overview
Penlite is a very broadly educated and experienced editor, with formal training, official certifications, and past occupational experience or official roles in these general fields:
 * Journalism & Media
 * Teaching & Education
 * Politics & Public Service
 * Business & Industry
 * Science & Technology

Objective
Penlite seeks to apply a broad range of knowledge, teaching and writing expertise, professional journalism discipline and judgement, and professional researching skills, to provide the public with ready access to fairly objective information, with ample substantial documentation, on important topics within his areas of knowledge, and leverage his research expertise, to assist in illuminating other subject areas, as well.

Wikipedia seems a constructive and fairly practical platform for this in the Digital Age.

Formal Education
Penlite has a Business degree, with a minor in Journalism, and additional academic studies and/or awards in International Affairs and Culture, Political Science, Public Administration, Law, Computer Science, Engineering, Physical Sciences and Psychology.

Licenses & Certifications
Penlite holds a variety licenses and certifications, particularly in Education, Business and various technical fields. Penlite has held prior licenses and certifications in his public-service roles as well.

Journalism & Media
Penlite's work in Journalism and Media has included publication of hundreds of articles and essays -- on politics, government, business, technology and other fields -- in a few leading U.S. newspapers and international magazines, as well as numerous minor and specialty publications and online media (including thousands of Wikipedia edits, and several Wikipedia article creations) -- with a more modest background in broadcast journalism and documentary media.

Penlite has also had minor roles — in print, online and broadcast media — as editor or producer, and in media consulting, and in media management and oversight.

Teaching & Education
Penlite's work in Education has included work as a certified teacher, college lecturer (at several public and private colleges and universities), corporate and institutional instructor, and private tutor — with several hundred students taught — in subjects ranging from history, politics and international affairs, to business, to communications, to technology, to the arts.

He has served as a consultant to, or appeared in, various educational programs and documentary media, and worked as curriculum developer and training program planner, and has earned various academic awards.

Politics & Public Service
Penlite's political background is relatively centrist, and includes several minor posts in public office (elected or appointed), particularly in urban affairs, in the United States. Penlite no longer holds, nor is seeking, public office.

Penlite's public-service training and/or experience has included administrative and judicial roles, and as legislative and political consultant. In earlier life, Penlite's training and/or experience included military, law enforcement and security, firefighting, emergency medical services, emergency rescue and disaster response.

Business & Industry
Penlite's work in Business & Industry has included minor management roles, and as CEO of very small enterprises, and as consultant to management of larger enterprises. Additionally, Penlite has served in a wide range of business/administrative roles, ranging from minor clerical duties to accounting, advisory and executive roles, for a wide range of businesses (including in the corporate headquarters of various Fortune 500 corporations), and institutions. Penlite is currently a business consultant, serving a fairly wide range of businesses, in roles related to his fields of expertise.

Science & Technology
Penlite has worked in engineering and research, and a wide range of technical roles -- including as a licensed technician, technical supervisor, certified technical instructor, and industrial consultant -- in several technical fields, including: aerospace, automotive, electronics, computers, communications, industrial trades, healthcare and others. Penlite struggles, though, to keep up with the profusion of emerging technologies, and will not primarily focus on these fields in Wikipedia -- leaving that to Wikipedians more engaged in the current technologies, and/or with more time for such research and writing.

Broad Exposure
Penlite has traveled widely, lived in various regions of the United States, and cultivated a wide range of acquaintances, nationally and internationally.

He has visited with, or interviewed, notable persons (many covered in Wikipedia articles) in culture, science, technology, business, politics and public service -- including various current and former journalists and authors, corporate executives, entertainers, military leaders, countless public officials (from bureaucrats, to mayors, to legislators, to governors, to members of Congress, the Cabinet, and White House staff), across the political spectrum, and a wide variety of foreign dignitaries.

He also has a deep and wide range of acquaintances with ordinary people from throughout the U.S. and the world, across a wide range of cultures and ethnicities, and across the economic spectrum.

Anonymity
When involved with Wikipedia, Penlite prefers to remain anonymous to avoid conflicts with -- and pressure from -- clientele, personal and political associates, and a politically charged community, which might compromise Penlite's freedom to remain objective and neutral without unduly negative consequences for such neutrality.

In short, Penlite wants to be free to be a candid and unflinching investigator and reporter -- within the objectives, values and protocols of Wikipedia -- and the anonymity of a pseudononymous Wikipedia identity makes that possible.

Penlite is aware that that this will raise legitimate questions about the credibility and validity of his work. But Penlite's very ample use of credible references will hopefully be more than enough to resolve any such doubts. Penlite is extremely committed to citing very neutral, credible, and reputable sources -- or concurring evidence from multiple otherwise-conflicting sources -- to assure objectivity and validity. (And urges other editors to do the same.)

Wikipedia expertise
Before establishing this identity, Penlite has previously made hundreds of Wiki edits (now thousands), and created a few Wikpedia articles (including a few promptly rated "B-class"). However, Penlite is not a highly skilled Wikipedian -- but is working on it, and welcomes gentle guidance.

Given the choice between being technically and legalistically proficient in Wikipedia -- or simply providing substantial amounts of useful encycolpedic information -- Penlite will generally focus on providing plenty of valid, useful, well-documented information, over procedural perfection.

Limits
Penlite has numerous other responsibilities, and will be necessarily limited in his level of engagement with Wikipedia. He may, at times, withdraw abruptly from editing an article, or from engaging a topic or discussion, to attend to other duties, and may not be able to return for days or weeks, or at all. This is not out of disrespect, but as a consequence of practical limitations and responsible attention to other duties.