Come on in, y’all!

The Basics

Howdy! I'm a design leader based in Richmond, VA, focused on building user-centered products and the teams that ship them. I've spent my career moving from craft to strategy—and now I lead design organizations that balance business objectives with genuine user advocacy. I'm not interested in maintaining the status quo; I'm here to raise the bar.

Life Beyond Design

When I'm not in meetings or mentoring designers, you'll find me diving into video games, debating sneaker drops, or breaking down zone defenses. I'm a new dad and have fully embraced this chapter—tucked-in t-shirts and all. I'm also a pet parent to two huskies and a cat; they keep me grounded and occasionally interrupt video calls.

Childhood Dreams

Once upon a time, I dreamt of becoming a professional bowler like Norm Duke. That didn't pan out, but the focus, precision, and competitive drive stuck with me—and translated directly into how I approach design leadership.

more than design

What sets me apart is a diversified background in economics and sales. I don't just understand how to build great experiences—I understand how to articulate their business value. I'm as comfortable in a boardroom discussing ROI and strategic impact as I am in a design review discussing hierarchy and interaction patterns. That fluency makes me effective at aligning stakeholders, securing buy-in, and ensuring design has a seat at the table.

My Philosophy

I care deeply about technology and the people who use it. My foundation is classic double-diamond thinking, but my application has evolved with experience—I focus less on personal craft and more on building systems, processes, and teams that consistently deliver user-centered outcomes.

Before design, I was in sales, advocating for technology adoption. My job wasn't pushing products—it was making them indispensable. That mindset still drives me: I lead teams to create experiences so intuitive that users can't imagine the alternative.

How I Work

I've led design efforts in both Waterfall and Agile environments and understand the tradeoffs of each. More importantly, I know how to partner with engineering and product leadership to find the right process for the problem at hand—not force a methodology where it doesn't fit.

I've also invested heavily in AI as a strategic tool—not just for efficiency, but for helping teams make smarter design decisions faster. If you're interested in how AI is reshaping the design space, I'd love to talk.