In the past, I worked in hybrid PM/UX roles. My most recent full time role was Director of Research and Design at Virtru, where I built product development team at a data security company. We were able to launch a new product to market now generating $2.2M and build a design system (that I PMed) in a year and a half that sped up engineering output by 6x.
As a Director, I wanted my team to work cross-functionally and help their counterparts focus on real problems. My team and I created interactive workshops and educational content to help non-designers. This change is culture was slow but worthwhile. We were able to benefit the entire company through our relationship-building and guidance.
In the past couple of years, I’ve been helping companies with their market positioning, product development lifecycle processes, and helping launch new products and features to market.
Prior to that, I had 10+ years of experience building websites, apps, and digital products. My focus during that time was product strategy, interaction design, information architecture, qualitative research, facilitating workshops and group alignment. My background in teaching UX allows me to help my direct reports, my cross-functional partners, and executives.
Here are some projects that I’ve worked on while managing a team. Below that, I’ve written out the values I’m looking for in an organization. If you want to see my work before, go to my consulting portfolio. To see my written resume, go here.
I believe in creating spaces that help bring out the best in people. Through many years of my own personal development, counseling, and coaching, I’ve practiced the skills that allow me to build the foundation that create innovative teams.
You can read about my leadership philosophy or my advice for new design leaders.
<aside> 💡 I’d like to work at a human-centered company or with a leadership team who wants to create a human-centered design (HCD) organization. HCD organizations deliver projects to market 50% faster with reduced design, development and maintenance costs. Design-led companies have a maintained stock market advantage, outperforming the S&P 500 by an 211%. Companies that rank at the top of the 4 components of McKinsey’s Design Index increased their revenue growth 32% higher than others in a 5-year period.
When you invest in people, whether it be your customers or your employees, you create long-term sustainability for an organization where everyone wins.
</aside>
<aside> 💡 In Brené Brown’s “Dare to Lead” book she states that we need more leaders "who are self-aware enough to lead from their hearts, rather than unevolved leaders who lead from hurt and fear.” I’ve developed my leadership skills with these aspects in mind and want to be around other leaders who value this as well.
There’s a beautiful quote by Dame Minouche Shafik, the Director of the London School of Economics. “In the past, jobs were about muscles, now they’re about brains, but in the future, they’ll be about the heart.” That’s where I want to work. In the future, with strong leaders who know that vulnerability is a strength and not a weakness.
</aside>