Kerrie Whitehurst has more than 20 years of experience in writing and editing, knowledge translation, and strategic communications. Her expertise is plain-language writing.

A sole proprietor, Kerrie’s company is called SimplyPut, reflecting her passion for producing clear, approachable, and engaging content that meets the needs of the reader. Kerrie can see the big picture while still maintaining an eye for detail, and clients appreciate her collaborative style and respect for the author’s voice.

Highlights of Kerrie’s work include supporting the Knowledge Institute on Child and Youth Mental Health and Addictions, a department of the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario. She has worked in public health as a manager of quality improvement, served as an in-house editor for prominent Canadian healthcare organizations, and written and edited articles for professional healthcare journals. One recent journal project involved interviewing several physicians and health leaders from across Canada, managing their contributions to ensure all viewpoints were represented equitably, and designing a final product that reflected one common voice and tone.

Kerrie has written and edited many different communications products and knowledge resources, including web content, evaluation toolkits, quality standards, strategic plans, annual/impact reports, project and research reports, RFPs, proposals, newsletters, and fact sheets.

Kerrie has been employed as a part-time professor at Ottawa’s Algonquin College, teaching business writing, personal communication skills, and English as a Second Language. Since 2020, Kerrie has been a guest lecturer at Carleton University’s School of Linguistics & Language Studies, where she mentors students in the Professional Writing Program.

Services offered:

• Plain-language writing and editing

• Substantive editing and content analysis

• Knowledge translation

• Report writing