Photo Credit: athenahealth Design Studio

Changing behavior through the power of design

My design career began in the suburbs of North Jersey, delighting family members while armed with a toolkit of Lisa Frank coloring books, spirographs, and Easy-Bake Oven molds. Through practice, passion, and a love for the Apple iMac G3, my craft transitioned from crafts to the digital world. At which point I pursued formal training from Savannah College of Art and Design, graduating with honors and a BFA in Graphic Design.

I used to think design (alone) could change the world.

That pushing pixels, kerning type, and balanced compositions, would bring me satisfaction and success. A 4-year career as a print designer and fashion photo art director, was the start I needed. But, with a passion to explore a career with more impact, I followed my calling to Boston, earning a Masters in Health Communication from Emerson College in collaboration with Tufts University, School of Medicine.

And then I learned that design is only half the solution.

The other half… is understanding users. For the past 10 years I have been honing my craft through user-centered design; solving complex problems and delivering services, products, and experiences for my users, resulting in scalable, sustainable solutions that promote behavior change. My toolkit has expanded from the early days to include strategy, research, end-to-end product solutions, design leadership, to name a few.

My innate curiosity and adaptability has offered the opportunities to be a designer-of-one as well as a member of a 90+ international design team, and almost everything between. I’ve moved seamlessly between in-house and consulting, and back again. Along the way picking up expertise in e-commerce, fashion, finance, education, start-ups, cloud computing, insurance, restaurants, software, and healthcare industries.

So now I change behavior through leadership.

As I continue to evolve my career, I will always advocate for the user, but my focus has shifted towards fostering talent, within the design community and within my teams. Bringing years of experience and insight to advocate for design, help teams work more effectively, and mentor designers who are looking to “break into” the field. I’ve learned that empowering designers with the confidence that they too can make an impact through meaningful solutions, in return empowers users.

I’m driven to change the world through the creation of design, communities, and careers.

Beyond my work and mentoring, I have personal passions for fitness & wellness, my community, and the topics of diversity & inclusion. I rely on these passions to energize and influence my work. I'm an entrepreneur at heart, or at least my Audible reading list suggests I am. I attend Ted Talks, meetups, and conferences, while keeping a constant pulse on the ever changing design and tech communities. My life is one huge UX research project, continuously immersing myself in new cultures and communities and observing how people move about their day. I also run and talk about running, A LOT. And I spoil my Great Dane puppy to the fullest.