Rhonda Schlumpberger
CA
Summary
Systems leader recognized for enhancing organizational performance through optimized workflows and strategic partnerships. Achieved a reduction in editorial decision time from weeks to just two days, while consistently ranking as a top responder in the industry.
Overview
42
42
years of professional experience
Work History
Judge
New York City Midnight Contest
01.2025 - Current
- A global writing competition requiring objective evaluation of creative submissions against defined prompts, rules, and craft standards
- Reviewed submission batches of up to 40 stories under tight deadlines, providing consistent, impartial assessments aligned with editorial guidelines
- Applied advanced editorial judgment to evaluate strengths and weaknesses, ensuring accuracy and fairness in high-volume evaluations
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Intrepidus Ink, LLC
01.2022 - Current
- Established and scaled a media brand with unified editorial standards, reaching readers and contributors in 33 countries through digital platforms, AI-enabled tools, and streamlined publishing workflows
- Applying project management skills, directed brand relaunch to connect web, editorial, and audience-growth functions, tracking progress with ChatGPT; developed visual assets on Canva, coordinated launch timelines, and partnered with multiple authors to customize stories under strict editorial standards
- Delivered 81 end-to-end story campaigns over four years, driving strategy, creative direction, positioning, and multi-channel execution from concept through release
- Optimized publishing workflows and prioritized reader demand by designing automated submissions intake in ClickUp, leveraging AI to streamline onboarding process
- RESULT: intake an average of 1,200 submissions yearly, reducing editorial decision time from weeks to a 2-day average, which is sharply faster than industry norms of weeks or months
- EVIDENCE: Consistently listed on Duotrope in the Top 10 (notably, of the Top 100 Fastest Responders category among 2,400 fiction magazines)
- Led editorial team of two, facilitating daily touchpoints on production schedules, award processes, and paid services to manage average of 1,200 stories/year
- Recognition: Duotrope Statistics Synopsis gave three badges for: Fast (decisions), Challenging (low acceptance rates), and Responsive
- Chill Subs Industry Rankings: Fish List 252/1830 literary magazines
Reader
Space and Time Magazine
01.2020 - 01.2023
- Evaluated and selected stories for quality, clarity, structure, genre alignment, and adherence to publication standards
- Delivered editorial assessments and recommendations across high-volume review cycles of over 1,100 submissions, collaborating with editors and authors to ensure on-time publications
Science Fiction Editor
Orion’s Belt
01.2022 - 12.2022
- Evaluated and selected stories from over 1,200 submissions, collaborating with editors and authors to drive timely publications for a distinct literary magazine
- Provided constructive feedback to enhance narrative structure and pacing
Priority Editor
Flash Fiction Magazine
01.2020 - 01.2022
- Managed daily editorial operations within the assigned queue for an international flash fiction magazine, coordinating with editors and authors worldwide in support of the mission to publish one story each day, every day, on time
- Evaluated and personally selected 55+ flash fiction stories for publication by applying defined editorial criteria for narrative effectiveness, technical execution, clarity, and audience impact
- Managed submission-to-publication workflow, providing structured feedback and coordinating revisions to streamline author support during editorial process
- Oversaw story selection, contests, editorial workflows, live events, emails, social media, and team coordination, enhancing writer support throughout publication process
- Led 7-person international editorial team operations, facilitating monthly strategy meetings, aligning production priorities, and improving consistency across review and publication workflows
- Produced and hosted Story Time Live, an international virtual event showcasing contest winners; developed scripts, coordinated logistics, and moderated for audiences of 100
Intern
Entangled Publishing
01.2016 - 01.2018
- Facilitated editorial acquisition process for young adult science fiction titles by evaluating manuscript submissions, preparing reader reports, and assisting editors with pre-publication materials (galleys) in a fast-paced commercial publishing environment
- Reviewed ~75 young adult science fiction manuscript submissions as first reader, providing timely editorial recommendation reports to inform acquisition decisions
- Assisted with manuscript submissions and processing for editorial review
Area Manager, Oncology Product Specialist
Myriad Genetic Laboratories
Salt Lake City, Utah
01.2007 - 01.2015
- Area Manager (2 ½ years): Led two 8-person oncology sales teams across SoCal and AZ, promoting hereditary cancer diagnostics as the standard of care, managing 400 accounts collectively. Sales goal exceeding $25M. #4 of 17 teams
- Oncology Product Specialist: Onboarded and trained 70 oncology accounts across complex private practices and hospital systems
- Achieved 125% revenue growth ($745.9K to $1.68M) over five years through fearless messaging, strategic persistence, and pipeline discipline
- Tested and optimized a physician engagement model (4-2-1 call strategy), resulting in 320% growth in targeted accounts; successes adopted nationally
- Piloted OnDose shipping/handling protocols (specific, sequential procedures), securing top 10 positioning out of more than 100 AEs in the OnDose launch; protocol best practices adopted nationally by teams
- Led team to achieve highest national COLARIS testing through weekly checks and onsite instructional workshop
- Led cross-functional process improvement initiatives using data tracking and accountability frameworks, contributing to the West Region achieving #1 growth ranking
- Developed and delivered structured onboarding and training program that translated complex technical training into repeatable learning systems aligned with company strategy
- Mentored and developed team members through coaching and performance evaluations, resulting in advancement of three professionals into higher-level roles
- Awarded Most Valuable Player by peers for three consecutive years & West Team's Most Valuable Manager
- President’s Club Award (Top 10 Percent Growth, Nationally) 2 years
- Promotion to Area Manager
Lieutenant Colonel, Ret., Services Officer
United States Air Force
01.1985 - 01.2005
- Strategic leadership, controllership, morale, and welfare for military, retired, and authorized personnel; national and global stationing, to include Europe, the Middle East, and deployments such as Desert Shield/Desert Storm
- 305th Services Squadron Commander, McGuire AFB, NJ; commanded a 550-person organization in support of air mobility operations
- Developed vision centered on four strategic pillars, driving enhanced organizational effectiveness
- Executed special duties as Air Mobility Command Protocol Officer, Air University Instructor, and Air Mobility Warfare Center Instructor, contributing to operational readiness and training excellence
- Selected Recognition: Led 305th Services Sq, McGuire AFB, NJ, to back-to-back AMC LeMay Awards for Best Small Squadron
- Achieved recognition as #1 squadron commander among 21 peers, reflecting leadership and operational impact within 305 AMW.
Education
Marketing Coursework - Santa Ana, CA
Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA01-2025
M.A. - English and Creative Writing
Southern New Hampshire University
Manchester, New Hampshire01-2020
M.F.A. - Writing Popular Fiction
Seton Hill University
Greensburg, Pennsylvania01-2018
Air War College - McGuire AFB, New Jersey
Air University
McGuire AFB, New Jersey01-2004
Air Command & Staff College - McGuire AFB, New Jersey
Air University
McGuire AFB, New Jersey01-2000
Certified Instructor - Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Air University
Maxwell AFB, Alabama01-1998
M.A. - Human Resources Development
Webster University
St Louis, Missouri05-1996
Squadron Officer School - Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Air University
Maxwell AFB, Alabama01-1990
B.E.S. - Educational Studies
University of Missouri-Columbia
MissouriSkills
- Creative direction
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Visionary leadership
- Editorial assessment
- Digital publishing
- Workflow optimization
- Team leadership
- Organizational skills
- Automated workflow design
- Artificial intelligence integration
- Artificial intelligence adoption
- Project management
Honors And Awards
- 2024, Writing Battle Online Global Writing Contest House Honorable Mention
- 2020, FaithWriter’s Editor’s Choice Winner, “The Word”
- 2019, Long Form Fiction’s Fiction Pick of the Week, “Decisions,” Last Exit
Publications
The Things We Lived Without, Roi Faineant, 04/24, The Only Way to Kill an Enemy, All Worlds Wayfarer, 06/23, Alien Invasion | Crossing Lines, Space and Time Magazine, 12/22, The Temptation of the King’s Daughter, Misery Tourism, 08/22, Death Angel Style, Frost Zone Zine, 03/22, A Personality Examination, Among Other Things, The Chamber Magazine, 12/21, Until the Aye-aye, New Flash Fiction Review, 11/21, When the President Tweets, Pulp Modern Flash, 09/21, The Afflicted, All Worlds Wayfarer, 06/21, Mouthalator 996, Freedomfiction.com, 04/21, Getting the Boot, The Chamber Magazine, 04/21, Exposed, Pulp Modern Flash, 03/21, Truce, Pulp Modern Flash, 08/20, The Long Fall, Charles Rector’s Fornax, 11/19, Will You Remember Me, Bewildering Stories, 08/19, Decisions, Last Exit, 07/19, The Nature of Irony, Flash Fiction Magazine, 02/19, The Last Word, Silver Blade Magazine, 12/18, Everything He Taught Her, Flash of the Dead, P. Chakraborty, Wicked Shadow Press, 2024, Grandpa’s American Burger, Grandpa’s Deep Space Diner, Jessica Augustsson, Jay Henge Publishing, 2021, Foremost Discovery, Like Sunshine After Rain, Heidi Ruby Miller, 07/21, Mother Moon, Sunshine Superhighway, Jessica Augustsson, 2020, Danger, Desire, and Drones, When the World Stopped, E. Nelson & H. Smith, 2020, Renewal, Love Across the Universe, Carrie Miller, 2017, What’s In a Name: Introducing Intrepidlode, Intrepidus Ink, 06/26, Worldbuilding Through Subtext, Intrepidus Ink, 05/25, Conflict: The Author’s Essential Tool, Intrepidus Ink, 05/25, Writing Danger: Add the Forbidden and High States, Intrepidus Ink, 04/25, You Don’t Have to Be an Action Writer to Use Action Writing, Intrepidus Ink, 03/25, Your Writer’s Brand and Social Media, Intrepidus Ink, 03/25, Your Writer's Brand: What It Is, What It Looks Like, and How to Develop Yours, Intrepidus Ink, 03/25, Brand Identity, Intrepidus Ink, 03/25, Get OFF the Title Treadmill: 3 Simple Tactics for Flash Fiction & Short Story Submitters, Intrepidus Ink, 01/24, What to Know About Promoting a Culture of Reading Stories Published in the Short Fiction Community, Intrepidus Ink, 10/23, Visionary Leadership, WOW! Performance Coaching, 08/15/05, An Air Force Flies on Its Stomach, From the Line in the Sand, Captain P. Vriesenga, 03/94, WOW Women on Publishing, Myna Chang, 07/25
Workshops Speaking Engagements
- 03/25, Electric Sheep Monthly Meeting, Discussed general publication issues and Intrepidus Ink processes
- 04/24, Blue Marble Storytellers Writers Conference, A behind-the-scenes discussion about magazine submission processes
- 09/23, Savvy Authors Writers’ Conference, Instructor for Editing and Publishing for Flash Fiction and Short Story Authors
Fellowship
The Mission Continues, St Louis, MO, 01/16, 12/16, Empowerment of veterans to serve the community via fellowships
Timeline
Judge
New York City Midnight Contest
01.2025 - Current
Founder, Editor-in-Chief
Intrepidus Ink, LLC
01.2022 - Current
Science Fiction Editor
Orion’s Belt
01.2022 - 12.2022
Reader
Space and Time Magazine
01.2020 - 01.2023
Priority Editor
Flash Fiction Magazine
01.2020 - 01.2022
Intern
Entangled Publishing
01.2016 - 01.2018
Area Manager, Oncology Product Specialist
Myriad Genetic Laboratories
01.2007 - 01.2015
Lieutenant Colonel, Ret., Services Officer
United States Air Force
01.1985 - 01.2005
Marketing Coursework - Santa Ana, CA
Santa Ana College
M.A. - English and Creative Writing
Southern New Hampshire University
M.F.A. - Writing Popular Fiction
Seton Hill University
Air War College - McGuire AFB, New Jersey
Air University
Air Command & Staff College - McGuire AFB, New Jersey
Air University
Certified Instructor - Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Air University
M.A. - Human Resources Development
Webster University
Squadron Officer School - Maxwell AFB, Alabama
Air University
B.E.S. - Educational Studies
University of Missouri-Columbia