Google
Washington, D.C.

UX Lead & Manager, News Ecosystem | Since Jan. 2022
Staff Interaction Designer, Google News | July 2021-Dec. 2021

  • Leading strategic initiatives for publishers and the broader news ecosystem, including Subscribe with Google, Google Publisher Center, and Google News Showcase.
  • Working with cross-functional peers and leaders to establish a brand new Google News team in Washington, D.C.—the first permanent presence for News in this office.

NPR
Washington, D.C.

Director of Product Design | Nov. 2018–June 2021
Deputy Creative Director | Jan. 2015–Nov. 2018
Senior Interaction Designer | Aug. 2014–Dec. 2014

  • Led user experience strategy and interaction design for NPR’s portfolio of user-facing platforms and apps, including NPR One (NPR’s flagship personalized listening app with hundreds of thousands of monthly active users on iOS, Android, the web, voice platforms, wearables, and entertainment systems), NPR.org (reaching up to 35 million weekly active users), and all content management, curation, and analytics tools
  • Defined and tracked progress against product and program KPIs/OKRs in partnership with peer leaders from dev and product disciplines. Applied Agile and Lean practices to form and validate hypotheses utilizing rapid prototyping, iterative co-creation, user research, competitive analysis, and analytic data
  • Championed pragmatic product strategy, user experience design, and audience research in ongoing conversation with divisional leadership and regular engagement with the organization’s executive team
  • Provided leadership and strategic direction for the Digital Media Design team, directly managing 6 senior product designers and providing guidance and supervisory support for 7 other team members—mentoring, providing feedback and critique, encouraging public engagement, and codifying team principles

The Information Architecture Summit (Now IA Conference)

Conference Chair | Apr. 2015–May 2016
Attendee Experience Director | Jun. 2014–Apr. 2015

  • Planned, directed, and managed the premier Information Architecture conference in North America, successfully serving nearly 600 attendees of varying backgrounds and experience levels
  • Facilitated an open call for talk proposals that resulted in nearly 250 submissions which were peer-reviewed by over 100 members of the IA community, ultimately curating a final program representing the unique viewpoints of more than 80 diverse experts

Wolfram Research
Champaign, IL

Web & Mobile User Experience Manager | Feb. 2013–Jul. 2014
User Experience Team Lead | Feb. 2012–Feb. 2013
User Experience Designer | Mar. 2010–Feb. 2012

  • Facilitated discussion and built consensus with executive stakeholders, product managers, and subject matter experts, defining requirements and specifications for Agile and waterfall projects
  • Created user scenarios, performed competitive analyses, developed concept maps, and designed interactive wireframes and prototypes for websites, mobile applications, and desktop software.
  • Served as project lead for partnerships and collaborations with several Fortune 100 companies
  • Managed four UX Designers and two Content Strategists, and provided mentorship for five other team members
  • Designed and administered moderated usability tests, and analyzed raw analytic data

Freelance Designer | 2007–2014
Clients include Public Library Association (via Pixo), Center for Prevention Research & Development (via Pixo), and Openmotive

  • Created personas based on third- and first-party research, reviewed system implementations based on prospective usage and heuristic evaluation, and designed full-site clickable prototypes
  • Developed messaging strategies and collaborated on information architecture for web projects

Manager of Communications at JB Development Group | Jun. 2008–Oct. 2009

  • Managed all aspects of e-commerce redevelopment, including sourcing and selection of vendors, assessing a variety of platforms and content management systems, and ongoing review of site analytics
  • Supervised and served as primary point-of-contact for eight off-site independent contractors

Producer, Illini Media Company | Jan. 2005–Mar. 2008

  • Served as project manager for the launch of a new arts & entertainment site, handling all logistics and hiring staff 
  • Managed a team of 10 editors to schedule daily content for site with nearly 500,000 annual visits 
  • Managed and trained a team of 15 producers, assistant producers, and interns who conceived, developed, and produced 10-20 original weekly radio commercials for WPGU-FM

Education

Bachelor of Science in Advertising & Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, The University of Illinois

  • Graduated with honors, completing a five year dual-degree program in four years