Lexington Park, Md. – Proposal writer by day historian by night, AVIAN’s newest proposal writer, Kate Schafer, recently achieved notable success with publications in Historic UK, a leading United Kingdom History Magazine, and the Association of Proposal Management Professionals (APMP), but the accomplishment highlights more than meets the eye.
Schaefer’s most recent published work, Sprinkles Are for Winners: Writing Creatively to Better Connect with Your Customers, and Warbirds and War Balloons: Operation Outward are radically different pieces, and demonstrate how reprioritizing work-life balance gave her the ability to carve out time for passion projects.
A graduate of Randolph-Macon College with a bachelor’s in history and Southern New Hampshire University with a master’s in military history, Schaefer entered the world of proposal writing 18 years ago after graduating from college.
“I started in proposal writing when I worked for a water treatment company, specifically when I discovered I was an exceptionally lousy administrative assistant after being hired,” Schaefer said. “For example, I forgot I was supposed to take care of one of my engineers’ poinsettias and the petals turned black, so I planted Dollar Tree plastic poinsettia stems in the pot in the hope he wouldn’t notice. I would have gotten away with it had I remembered to remove the price tag. My continuing to try to be an administrative assistant was not going to end well for anyone, so I transitioned to a different department.”
The transition worked in Schaefer’s benefit, as she focused on proposal writing and technical writing for marketing and business development efforts. That experience prepared her for her next role at PwC (PricewaterhouseCoopers), where she was the lead proposal writer for the Tax National Pursuit team handling proposals for Boeing, Coca-Cola, AT&T, and several other businesses. Since becoming a proposal writer, Kate has remained dedicated to the field for 18 years.
While Schaefer has a knack for proposal writing, her true passions lie in writing about history.
“My history writing is a passion project,” Schafer said. “Proposal writing not only pays the bills but also enables me to maintain Rudolph, my hound dog, in the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed.”
Today, it can be hard to balance work life with hobbies and passions. However, working in a busy corporate environment doesn’t always mean interests and hobbies must be sacrificed. This is precisely the reason Kate made her way to AVIAN. Stumbling upon AVIAN while job searching, “I really liked how AVIAN focused on serving the military,” Schaefer said.
After Schaefer did some additional research on AVIAN and applied, well, the rest is history.
“My last role [at PwC] was dual proposal writer and people manager, and I never felt like I had enough hours in the day to do my best on either,” Schaefer said. “Moving up meant moving farther and farther away from writing- and what truly made me excited about getting up each morning. I needed to grow out, not up—to broaden my experience, expand the circle of people I can learn from, and find new ways to develop my skills. I’m very privileged to able to change jobs to focus on growing sideways instead of up. I’m much happier now that I’m no longer trying to half-ass two things- I can focus on whole-assing the most important one.”
Having transitioned to a role that allows room for her passion, Kate now has more flexibility to incorporate her historical writing. She is currently working on several historical writing projects. One of which focuses on Maria Bochkareva, the leader of the all-woman Battalions of Death (WWI) and the other focuses on the female leader of the 1862 Bread Riots in Richmond, Virginia.
Her most recent publications are not Schaefer’s first. Schaefer's writing has made notable appearances across various historical topics, with four publications in Historic UK History Magazine focusing on WWII. Her expertise writing about female spies during the Irish Revolution was showcased in History Today, while her insightful series about American first ladies found its place in History is Now. Additionally, Schaefer’s contributions to the Online Biographical Dictionary of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the United States has also been recognized.
Notably, in 2019, her work on female involvement in WWI was highlighted as part of the Museum of Valor's Armistice Centennial presentation. Furthermore, her comprehensive research on female spies in the Special Operations Executive (SOE) during WWII has been incorporated into a textbook by the Louisiana Department of Education, slated for use by teachers starting in the 2024-2025 school year.
To read more of Schaefer’s work, click the links below.
Schaefer’s Personal Blog: www.fragilelikeabomb.com
History is Now
Series- Truth to Power: First Ladies that Shaped Presidencies and Policies
Part 1: Abigail Adams
Part 2: Eleanor Roosevelt
Part 3: The Two Ms. Wilsons
History Today (Vol. 68, Issue 8)
“In Plain Sight: Female Spies in the Irish War for Independence”
Historic UK History Magazine
“Female Spies of the SOE”
“Land Girls and Lumber Jills”
“Quite Enough Disaster for Today: The Sinking of the Lancastria”
“Warbirds and War Balloons: Operation Outward”
Online Biographical Dictionary of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the United States
“Emma Maddox Funck”
“Maryland Woman Suffrage Association”
APMP Winning the Business
“Building a Strong Proposal: Don’t Hang the Drapes Before You Dig the Foundation”
“Sprinkles Are for Winners: Writing Creatively to Better Connect With Your Customers”
