About

Up until now...

Originally from Detroit, I spent 15 years living and working in other cities across the US and Australia before returning in 2020. I have lived in Detroit, Phoenix, Denver, and Philadelphia in the US, and Melbourne and Sydney in Australia. This journey has pushed me out of my comfort zone on a regular basis until discomfort has become my comfort zone. My experiences and exposure to these different places opened my mind and influenced my reflective approach to human understanding.

Early in my career, a short-lived venture into industrial engineering exposed to me the range of human behaviors and needs being ignored in manufacturing. I found that time-motion studies and resource scheduling approaches were misguided, forcing the people I scheduled for to find creative workarounds, motivated only by meeting a required quota each day. Lean Manufacturing was a great solution for inventory management, but there were gaps in the logic when considering human resources. I pushed to bring humans into the conversation, encouraging their inclusion in the co-design of their work processes.

Struggling with a philosophical misalignment with my work, I pivoted, seeking more creative pursuits with a value for supporting people. I found my home in website design during the days of exploration into what the internet could be. I helped many organizations create their very first websites and then digital strategies as the online world evolved. I transitioned into user experience, focusing on research and service design as these professions emerged. Over the next 10 years, I developed a solid skill set in researching and understanding people to inform digital experience strategies. I pursued further education, completing postgraduate work in anthropology and a Masters of Design specializing in design anthropology. The frameworks I learned from these studies shaped the way I see and build understanding of human systems. 

My focus over the past decade has been on design team leadership, scoping strategic work and setting up systems that focus on research with people as a key component of understanding. I coach people, developing critical thinking and analysis skills in researchers, designers and program leaders. I have led teams within consultancies and corporations, working with an array of clients spanning from small businesses to global companies across industries, universities and government departments. I have led projects, programs and craft teams through complex problem-solving and the design of innovative solutions. In 2014, I developed a new practice within a user experience agency centered around early-stage research to inform and inspire experience design and development strategies. As the Head of Discovery and Design, I helped government agencies, universities and corporations break down their customer experiences and rebuild them based on deep exploration and understanding of human behavior.

On the side...

Since I was young, my other passion has been sport. After growing up a gymnast and diver, I spent 17 years coaching gymnastics. While successfully leading multiple teams toward state championship wins, my focus in coaching was always on the development of the individual athletes and ensuring a safe and productive team environment. Individuals within each group had their own unique talents, preferences and goals, but benefited from working together with their teammates. They learned from and encouraged each other, strengthening the total output of the team. Coaching high-performance athletes informed a leadership approach that I still adhere to today. People are individuals on their own journeys, but work within an ecosystem to reach both individual and team goals. 

Apart from work, I am a continuous learner and explorer. Though not a natural language learner, I have picked up a mediocre understanding of Spanish and Swedish over several years of effort. I am developing my sewing skills, designing and making my own clothes. Right now, I am really into quilting fabrics into jackets and bags. And I always enjoy nice meditative walk or climb followed by a well-brewed espresso. 

Where I'm going....

My strengths are in strategy and leadership, with a passion for building and running team ecosystems made of individuals with diverse backgrounds, skillsets and mindsets. I see the world in systems and three-dimensional space. Give me a map over a list of directions any day. I love the challenge of a good puzzle and am passionate about understanding and teaching people. I push to reduce bias in design and love to inspire innovative systems, services, experiences and products through exposing others to new insights and analogous solutions. I am always in pursuit of excellence in my craft and encourage others toward the same.