Career Overview. Resume.

As a seasoned design leader with over 17 years of experience, I’ve had the pleasure of shaping innovative user experiences and delivering world-class products for Amazon, Oracle, multi-million dollar startups, and a variety of small to medium-sized businesses. My expertise lies in solving complex design challenges, ensuring customer success, and developing scalable strategies that maintain exceptional design quality. I excel at crafting visionary product roadmaps and aligning long-term strategies with user needs and business objectives.

One of my favorite roles is facilitating cross-functional education sessions, where I provide in-depth insights into our product’s current features, future roadmap, technical constraints, and potential blockers. I ensure that every team member is equipped with the knowledge they need to contribute effectively. When challenges arise, I take a proactive approach, gathering the right people to collaboratively solve problems while maintaining a calm and focused environment.

Supporting teams through clear communication and problem-solving is central to my approach. I offer tailored guidance, clarify complex concepts, and connect the dots between design and business goals to improve team effectiveness. I work closely with Engineering to understand technical constraints and with Customer Success to ensure that solutions align with user needs, creating cohesive strategies for success.

I thrive in collaborative environments, facilitating alignment across product, technical, design, and leadership teams. My inclusive approach ensures consensus and alignment by the end of each meeting, empowering teams to achieve collective goals and deliver impactful solutions.

Core Competencies. Key Skills.

Design Management Design Strategy Design Operations Product Vision Human-Centered Design User-Experience Design Thought Leadership

Experience. Professional Journey.

I lead UX Foundations at MongoDB, overseeing a multi-disciplinary organization that includes the Leafy Green Design Systems team (design and engineering), the Education Design team, and the Design Technology team. Together, we build scalable systems, craft user-centered educational experiences, and develop tools that elevate design across the company. My focus is on driving quality, consistency, and efficiency at scale.

In 2015, I co-founded Recursive Thinking, a community for career development and mentorship for developers and designers. With over 200 members, we host weekly events with 20-30 attendees for mentorship activities. I’ve mentored 32 designers and over 100 tech professionals, including managers, developers, product managers, and tech writers, leading to notable skill enhancement, improved team performance, and significant career advancement. I implemented tailored coaching programs that fostered professional growth, increased job satisfaction, and accelerated career trajectories across diverse technical and design disciplines.

I’ve led design teams of up to six members, collaborating cross-functionally with product owners, developers, and stakeholders to deliver successful internal and external projects. I oversaw project execution from concept to completion, ensuring alignment with business objectives, improving project efficiency, and achieving high-quality outcomes that met both client and organizational goals.

As the leader of our design group, I effectively organized projects and facilitated over 100 workshops, promoting continuous learning and skill development. This leadership streamlined project execution, facilitated knowledge sharing, and implemented best practices and innovative approaches, resulting in improved design processes and enhanced team capabilities.

At Vendia, I built and led a high-performing multi-disciplinary design team, transforming the product into a user-friendly, no-code experience. We successfully designed and launched one SaaS platform, 17 new features, and an application for the Snowflake Marketplace, resulting in heightened user engagement and market presence.

I directed a branding redesign to address accessibility and created a distinctive brand identity. I led the design and development of the Vendia design system, reducing production time by 40% and improving consistency and efficiency across projects.

Defining a new product vision based on customer feedback and AI advancements, I led a redesign that segmented the product into use-case-specific offerings, simplifying onboarding and boosting sales. Notably, I reduced customer onboarding time from up to a year to under 30 minutes by streamlining workflows and enhancing user interfaces.

I facilitated cross-functional collaboration and built strong relationships with leadership, fostering trust and innovative solutions. By creating comprehensive design documentation and streamlining request processes, I improved workflow efficiency, reduced turnaround times, and enhanced project execution. Additionally, I developed career leveling guides, helping designers understand their career paths and goals.

Leading a team of three designers, I re-evaluated and innovated the time entry experience, developing a strategic 3-5 year roadmap that enhanced the experience for over 150,000 users, resulting in increased satisfaction and engagement.

I spearheaded the design of a flagship Oracle feedback component, overseeing its end-to-end user experience. Deployed across all Oracle products, this component enhanced data collection and feedback processes, positively influencing product development and user engagement.

Partnering with the research team, I conducted over 100 hours of interviews, usability testing, and focus groups for Oracle Recruiting Cloud and Oracle Time and Labor. This research generated critical insights, improving user experience and functionality across Oracle products.

I led the system design and information architecture for Oracle Recruiting Cloud and Oracle Time and Labor, optimizing usability and streamlining information flow. This resulted in a more intuitive user experience and improved system efficiency.

Additionally, I collaborated with leaders from various Oracle organizations to enhance internal design processes, leading to more efficient workflows and improved design quality. This collaboration resulted in streamlined procedures, better alignment across teams, and more effective design execution.

I directed the comprehensive product design process for AWS Global Accelerator, which was successfully launched at ReInvent 2018 and is now utilized by nearly 1.5 million customers. Overseeing all design aspects from conceptualization to execution, I delivered a highly adopted solution that significantly enhanced user experience, drove customer satisfaction, and contributed to the product’s widespread success. Additionally, I led the end-to-end product design for AWS Cloud Map and Amazon Route 53 Resolver, both launched at ReInvent 2018. Managing the design process from initial concept through to final implementation, I created products that delivered enhanced functionality, streamlined user experiences, and increased adoption and satisfaction within the AWS ecosystem.

For Amazon Route 53, I led the research and design for the console, formulating a comprehensive 3-5 year redesign strategy that addressed 86% of unresolved customer feedback accumulated over seven years. This initiative resolved long-standing issues, significantly improved user satisfaction, streamlined the console experience, and enhanced overall product performance. Furthermore, I redesigned Route 53 Hosted Zones, launching a more intuitive user interface and streamlined management processes in early 2020. This redesign improved operational efficiency, user experience, and engagement with the product.

In addition to these projects, I provided design consultations for AWS Elemental and Amazon Pinpoint, offering expert guidance that led to enhanced user interfaces and improved functionality. My contributions resulted in more intuitive user experiences, better alignment with customer needs, and increased effectiveness of the design solutions for both products.

I led the product design for nine core products, an R&D mobile application, and various internal tools. This included the successful launch of two native mobile applications and the implementation of numerous feature improvements, which resulted in enhanced user experiences, increased engagement, and streamlined operations. I defined and implemented a research plan for the R&D mobile application, which was subsequently adopted for core products. By integrating user research studies into the design process, I collected direct feedback that led to more user-centric solutions and significant enhancements in both the mobile app and flagship products. This approach improved usability, increased user satisfaction, and contributed to the overall success and quality of the products.

Entrusted by the C-Suite to define initiatives, timelines, and delivery, I drove iterative design and prototyping processes to rapidly test and validate ideas. This approach ensured timely execution and alignment with strategic goals, leading to successful project outcomes, enhanced decision-making, and accelerated development cycles. My efforts contributed to overall organizational efficiency and innovation.

I directed the end-to-end product design of mobile applications, web applications, admin consoles, and print media, leading to enhanced user experiences and streamlined interfaces across multiple platforms. This comprehensive approach resulted in increased user satisfaction, improved functionality, and successful project outcomes, demonstrating a strong impact on both user engagement and operational efficiency. I managed a multidisciplinary team of 5 designers, 2 researchers, 2 marketers, and 3 university brand ambassadors, successfully driving project outcomes and enhancing team performance. By overseeing the development and execution of strategic initiatives, I increased brand awareness and improved design quality, showcasing effective leadership and collaboration across diverse roles. Additionally, I successfully shipped 3 native apps to the Apple and Google Play Stores, 3 web apps, 5 online portals, and 3 informational responsive websites. These launches led to enhanced user engagement, positive feedback, and significant improvements in user experience and accessibility, demonstrating the successful execution of high-quality digital solutions.

I developed a diverse portfolio of creative projects for small businesses and clients, delivering tailored design solutions that boosted client satisfaction and growth. Specializing in responsive web and product design, I utilized comprehensive UX research to create user-centric solutions that enhanced usability and engagement. My work included high-quality graphic design, animation, and motion graphics, resulting in visually engaging content that effectively supported marketing campaigns. I also created corporate videos that strengthened brand communication and storytelling, improving audience engagement and reinforcing corporate messaging. Additionally, I designed branding and print media that established and promoted client identities, increasing brand recognition and market positioning. My professional photography services showcased client products and events, enhancing promotional materials and client visibility. By crafting bespoke solutions across various mediums, I provided tailored designs that met unique client needs and contributed to successful project outcomes.

Academic Background. Education.