Innovate. Design. Build.
I have been on an exciting journey from being a full-stack developer and on through becoming a User Experience leader. I am passionate about design, development, leadership, and most importantly people. By following a User-Centered Design process I have been able to successfully elevate products and teams to a whole new level.
Career Background
Highly motivated and results-oriented UX & Product Design Leader with an MBA and extensive experience in crafting innovative product strategies and design systems. Proven ability to translate business goals into user-centric solutions, driving revenue growth and customer satisfaction. Adept at leading and mentoring UX teams of all sizes, fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous learning.
Director of User Experience
DNSFilter | Oct 2021 – Present (Fully Remote)
Led product design efforts for a leading cybersecurity product, contributing to a #1 overall ranking on G2.
Increased revenue by 67% YoY through user-centric product features.
Established a strong design culture, promoting collaboration and ensuring product alignment with business needs.
Built and championed the internal design system, brand standards, and style guide.
Owned user research and customer feedback processes, driving continuous improvement.
Set and monitored product KPIs through reporting dashboards and UX scorecards.
Led a talented UX team, aligning department OKRs with company objectives.
Senior Director of User Experience
Aspen Dental | Nov 2020 – Oct 2021 (Chicago, IL - Hybrid Remote)
Delivered a first-of-its-kind patient financing tool, boosting in-store approval rates by 39% and lender offerings by 667%.
Optimized customer journeys across in-store experience and patient scheduling.
Bridged business requirements to engineered solutions through deep technical expertise.
Championed Agile development and Lean UX methodologies.
Developed and documented design decisions for clear communication with engineering teams.
Coached direct reports and managed external agencies.
Director of User Experience & Application Innovation
Hitachi Solutions | Feb 2018 – Nov 2020 (Chicago, IL - Fully Remote)
Established and scaled the UX practice for North America, leading a team in delivering customer-centric solutions.
Defined design standards, deliverables, and methodologies for internal use and client projects.
Facilitated product strategy workshops for B2B and B2C clients.
Conducted rapid prototyping for customer demos using technical requirement discovery.
Leveraged industry insights to provide consulting recommendations.
Fostered a culture of learning and development within the UX team.
UX Lead | Senior Software Engineer
Paylocity | Jan 2015 – Feb 2018 (Schaumburg, IL - Hybrid Remote)
Led the development of a comprehensive internal design system, promoting efficiency and scalability.
Built and deployed front-end applications in an Agile environment.
Demonstrated strong leadership qualities and emotional intelligence.
Senior Developer | Fanatics Inc. | Apr 2014 – Jan 2015 (Chicago, IL - Onsite)
Developer | Millennium Information Services, Inc. | Mar 2012 – Apr 2014 (Chicago, IL - Onsite)
Associate Software Engineer | Arc Worldwide / Leo Burnett | Feb 2011 – Mar 2012 (Chicago, IL - Onsite)
Software Engineer (Internship leading to hire) | American Concrete Pavement Association | Jun 2006 – Feb 2011 (Rosemont, IL - Onsite)
Product Innovation Skills
Design:
UX Design: Focused on creating exceptional user experiences through design thinking and implementation.
UI/UX Development: Skilled in crafting user-friendly interfaces while maintaining strong back-end functionality.
Leadership:
Team Leadership: Proven ability to lead and motivate teams, fostering a collaborative work environment.
Thought Leader: Established reputation for thought leadership within the organization, driving innovation.
Mindfulness and EQ: Leveraging emotional intelligence and experience to mentor and develop future leaders.
Development:
Full-Stack Development: Expertise in both front-end and back-end development, ensuring seamless application functionality.
Tech-Savvy: Adept at staying current with the latest development trends and technologies.
Sales Engineering:
Technical Sales: Proven track record of successfully closing technical sales and exceeding revenue targets.
Client Communication: Excellent communication skills, fostering strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
Enterprise Strategy:
Strategic Planning: Skilled in analyzing market trends and developing comprehensive enterprise strategies.
Big-Picture Thinking: Ability to focus on detailed product development while maintaining a strategic vision for the entire organization.