As the district’s technical writer-editor, Libby Ritz considers herself a fresh set of eyes and the final check before a document is published.
Through proofreading internal and external documents while ensuring compliance with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, Ritz has been able to put her stamp on the St. Paul District. “Sometimes I feel like an oxymoron because I’m a laid-back person with a nitpicky role,” she said.
When she graduated with a PhD in structural geology and geomechanics, Ritz hadn’t given much thought to technical writing and editing and initially worked as a geoscientist in the oil industry. However, she soon realized she wanted to help the scientific community in a “more personal way.” On the advice of a friend, Ritz transitioned to academic editing about 8 years ago. She joined the St. Paul District in January 2025.
Recently, Ritz has helped polish water control manuals and several studies and reports, including the Big Sandy Lake fish movement study. She’s also been updating templates and forms, formatting correspondence and editing storymaps.
As the first technical writer-editor in the district since May 2022, Ritz didn’t have a ready job structure to follow. “You’re welcome to ask me about anything,” said Ritz, “There’s no official tech writer-editor training, so the more questions I ponder and documents I touch, the more consistent and helpful I can become!”
Ritz and her husband are both from Madison, Wisconsin, and have lived in the Twin Cities since 2017. However, their 7-year-old son is a true Minnesotan.
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