Let’s get to work.
As you can see from my enterprisey work blazer, I’m ready to roll up my sleeves. I’m a content design leader who has worn many different hats, from content designer, UX designer, writer, thinker, animator and in a past life, marketer. I live by these fighting words; passion, creativity, innovation, grit, bravery, integrity, curiosity, and human-centricity.
Balancing the needs of customers and the needs of the business are at the center of everything I do. If I’ve done my job right, people should come away from an experience feeling accomplishment in achieving their goals, and also joy.
Resume
Download my resume here.
My origin story
A career is a series of experiments. Some experiments fail spectacularly because they don’t align with the hypothesis. The insight gained from every experiment is always a valuable directional tool—whatever the outcome. Just repeat with new variables and make improvements, little by little. Below I will highlight some epic successes and failures that shaped who I am today.
The early years
I’ve been an artist all my life. From the moment I could hold one in my tiny hands, I put marker to paper. I proudly “published” over a hundred stories I made in the form of stapled books. I also loved reading, spending countless hours in my room reading whatever I could. In 7th grade I became a published poet, and I won our middle school spelling bee three years in a row—certified nerd! Due to my family influence, I have always been interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, and how they connect together to set the future and solve humanity’s biggest problems.
Bachelor of Fine Arts
I double majored with a BFA in graphic design with and a second major in Honors Spanish. My main focus was visual design—I learned the fundamentals of typography, print design, and painting. I started to solve problems in visual space. I did quite a lot of reading and writing essays for my Spanish major, which acquainted me with new cultures, new ways of thinking and new forms of expression. I took as many elective courses as possible to get acquainted with technical mediums such as game design, animation, video editing, and textiles. I was president of the design club where we would make small projects for fun as a creative outlet and was active in professional design associations like AIGA and Design Madison.
Early jobs and internships
I worked all four years of my undergraduate career at the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department (Go Badgers!), where I delved into web design and sports photography. I also built flash tools and games—back when that was a thing.
I interned at Kate Spade & Company in New York City, helping handbag and jewelry designers use computer-aided design techniques in manufacturing. I revered the opportunity, but the industry just wasn’t the right fit for me as it supported fast fashion and lacked sustainability, inclusivity, and current technology.
Graduating just after the financial crisis, it was difficult to find work. I tended bar and I also interned at a boutique agency that just oozed coolness, Planet Propaganda for a year while applying to graduate programs.
Master of Fine Arts
I moved to Columbus, Ohio and completed an MFA in Digital Animation and Interactive Media, a 3-year degree program in the Advanced Computing Center for the Arts and Design (ACCAD). I also worked for a few years creating animations for Ohio State University Athletics which played on the jumbo-tron during football games and was a member of the Columbus Society of Communicating Arts.
During graduate school, I was a research assistant, building an application for users in the military. In my final year, I taught classes for undergraduates including a web design course which I ran as a miniature incubator that included my own industry-relevant curriculum. As a proud “mama goose,” I witnessed a few of the students I mentored go on to become design and UX professionals.
The best part of graduate school was the excellent mentorship from our program director, professors, associates, and fellow students. I will always be grateful for their guidance. This experiment yielded success overall, but it was time to pivot given the instability of the VFX industry at that time.
IBM
After being hired at IBM, I started in Systems building infographics, animated videos, and producing interview videos, pivoting to IBM Collaboration Solutions as a content marketer before it was divested to HCL. From there, I moved to Business Analytics and Data Science where I was a content marketing manager (Cognos Analytics, Watson Analytics, Planning Analytics, and more). I learned how to build engaging content for events along with digital demos and activations. While I enjoyed working for product teams, it was time to return to my true passion—design.
In 2018, I moved to the Design Program Office as a content strategist and designer. For two years, my mission was dedicated to making IBM the best place for designers to practice their craft, grow their skills, and advance their careers—at the time, serving the 2,500 formally-trained designers and 20,000 UX professionals at IBM. In 2020, my role pivoted towards ensuring the experiences we deliver for our clients are excellent—a CX/Service Design-focused effort.
I served as editor for the IBM Design Medium publication, as well as served on the committee for the IBM Content Design Guild. I lead content strategy and design for the Universal Experiences and I collaborate on stretch projects which aligned with my social values such as the Racial Equity in Design project.
Visa
Upon being hired at Visa, my first long-term goal was to build a company-wide content style guide as part of the Visa Product Design System. It has since evolved into a Content Design System. These guidelines set the standard across all Visa products saving time for designers and developers while also improving product quality with greater accessibility and alignment to the Visa brand. I also became a people manager which is the most fulfilling aspect of my job. Nowadays, I apply my content skills directly as an embedded member of the team on high-priority Visa products.
In my heart of hearts, I will always be a designer. It’s my passion. At the core of my career is my affinity for solving human-centered problems, storytelling, expression, and community.
My life passions
I champion good design and good business in speaking engagements, events, and forums as often as I can. I’m inspired by the design community, science, technology, dialog surrounding the cultural zeitgeist, video content, literature, humanist philosophy, rational thinking, and social progress. I am a fierce advocate for women in STEAM and creating inclusive spaces. I enjoy writing and editing Medium and magazine articles. I also volunteer in the community.
I like to paint and craft, mountain bike, sip coffee, and practice yoga. At the core of it all is my son, my husband, and perfectly mismatched wolfpack—comprised of my English bulldog, my miniature dachshund, and my parakeet.
