Twenty-five years after joining the composing operations at the Secretary of State's Office, Julie Stegeman remains as enthusiastic about completing clean, accurate publications.
With a degree in graphic communications from the Tri-County Technical School in Eldon, she started in the field with old type-set machines, paste-up pages, film and burning plates.
"I've always had an interest to see the final product, after seeing the layout," Stegeman said. "I enjoy every aspect from beginning to end."
Her introduction to the field was through high school yearbook. At the Secretary of State's Office, she started as a composing equipment operator, then moved into graphics design and then management.
Today, as director of publications, Stegeman is responsible for the General Assembly roster and Official Manual of the State of Missouri, as well as any smaller information publications for the office's various programs, such as the state library, state archive, business services and candidate filing.
So much has changed in the industry, due to electronics and digital tools, she said. At the same time, "nothing is ever the same" in the daily job, she said.
"Doing this job for so many years, I've learned to have a very sharp eye and attention to detail," Stegeman said.
As the longest serving employee in the department, she also helps provide continuity during administration changes - Secretary Jay Ashcroft is her seventh secretary of state.
After the general election in November, her office had two months to prepare new stationery and update publications with the new Secretary of State's information.
Now, her office is compiling updates to the Missouri roster, General Assembly roster and Official Manual.
"We inform citizens about changes and who's holding office," she said.
The official manual - a four- to six-month project - is her favorite, as it was the first project she worked on for the office, she said.
"Seeing it from beginning to end is an amazing process," Stegeman said.
Collecting the updates from every state department, each county and all levels of government has become easier with electronic communication. When Stegeman started, all contact was made with handwritten hard copies.
"Gathering the information can be overwhelming," she said. "But it's good historical information. Hopefully, we've helped someone find the information they needed."