Trails hiked
Years Married
Hours playing videogames
Adorable cats in my family
Scientific observations tracked
ft. in elevation where I live
I’m a Tex-pat who has recently found her home in the remote mountains of Colorado. Prior to settling in amongst the cozy winters and gorgeous vistas, I moved from coast to coast, cultivating my career in Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and Denver.
During that more nomadic phase, I was afforded a professional playground to broaden and hone my skills in technology and design. I’ve worked for both startups going through their initial rounds of funding, and in top Manhattan agencies working across the medical, financial, telecom industries, and more.
These days, I’m most fulfilled when I can buckle in, get my hands dirty, mix a metaphor or two, and work with a team to bring lasting value to its users... followed by unwinding with a long hike or a quiet night stargazing here in my backyard.
We "Type-A" personalities, especially in the workplace, are a victim of bad PR. Underneath our exacting standards and driven nature is a strategic mindset which lets us anticipate and organize.
I’m able to see the forest for the trees and then figure out which of those scopes needs to be addressed by the team first. I can spot the gaps, build connections and systems, and know when we should stop to think versus when we should act.
My goal in establishing these ways-of-working is to create efficiency and consistency, allowing focus to be on the solution and not the small impediments along the way. That way, we as designers are speaking to the entire system and not just pixels, creating a better experience for all teammates, and ultimately our users.
It’s an approach to work and life which has served me well, and guarantees that I’m always giving my all, no matter what comes.
I love a challenge! Complexity or ambiguity can be daunting at the outset, but that’s where I thrive. It’s rewarding when I can take all the moving parts in a project, and collaborate with a passionate team to transform them into a digestible end-to-end solution.
With any product, you have to understand the user. Once pinpointing their needs and define the ultimate objectives, I dive into a research and discovery phase to gather insights and inspiration. It’s important throughout this process to make sure I’m always reconciling business goals with user needs. Once the strategy has been approved and work thoughtfully prioritized, I’ll begin prototyping, designing, and testing. This smaller iterative process continues, often alongside a development team, until we've delivered intuitive, valuable results.
I’m perfectly comfortable in the driver’s seat, leading a team through brainstorming, discovery, or strategizing solutions. But I’m also adaptable, working hand-in-hand with fellow team leaders or stakeholders to support their vision and bring it to fruition. Every project and team requires a bespoke balance all its own.
I’ve been fortunate that my career has allowed me to work both in-house and in top design agencies, jumping from client to client. Regardless of company structure, I’ve learned that I’m the most intrinsically rewarded when I can design thoughtfully and deliberately, helping evolve a product and its systems into the future.
Empathy is the crux of everything. Whether it’s shared between teammates or understanding a user, empathy drives the best work out of everyone with effective results. I believe empathy leads to curiosity, which leads to knowledge, restarting the cycle once more. As someone who loves to learn and teach, this cycle has permeated my whole life, and sharing knowledge seems like the logical next step. The more you know of the rules, the more equipped you'll be when you need to break them.
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