This Show’s Been Running for a While, so Let’s Start at the Beginning.
We’re going to do this ‘work history’ thing a little differently. I’m going to start you off at the beginning so you can experience the growth along with me.
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2005
Early (Golden 🎶) Years
Professional Graphic Designer
I began my career working as a graphic designer for various types of companies. I focused strongly on digital design and front-end web development because I wanted to help companies transition into the digital age.
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2007
Advertising Experience
Digital Art Director
I thought it would be super cool to be one of those super cool kids who work at a super cool ad agency. So, I freelanced for a few of them, splitting my work between print & digital. Freelancing full time in advertising meant I was putting in some really long hours, so eventually (in 2009) I accepted a full-time gig at an agency that specialized in food advertising for international brands like Kellogg’s, Tyson, and McCain Potatoes.
As the company's first Digital Art Director, I helped stop the outsourcing of digital creative by opening their first in-house digital design and production shop. We saved a ton of cash with that approach.
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2012
Internal Marketing Experience
Web Design Manager
Working in advertising was great, but it was time for a change. I decided to accept a marketing position with a SaaS company. There, I managed & led multiple rebranding initiatives, and the combination of 28 international websites into one cohesive design (and the production work to make it happen).
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2014
Diving Deeper into Tech
Principal UX Designer
Cision’s brand was finally stable and it had merged with Vocus to become the biggest PR software powerhouse (dare I say…) in the world.
After managing international marketing experiences, I wanted to apply what I had learned to the products. I wanted to help Cision dig deeper into the mind of the consumer and really understand how—after we’ve caught their eye with our marketing—we could keep them engaged by creating usable, captivating, and intuitive products.
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2015
Financial/Fixed Income
Sr. Art Director & Product Designer
Performance Trust was in desperate need of a branding update and also needed someone who could help them bring new financial products to market. The opportunity to apply all of the skills I had learned throughout my career and formulate a full brand strategy was perfect for me.
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2016
FinTech Time!
Product Design Director
Moving into the Tech department, I worked closely with industry experts and leaders to help increase collaboration across the firm, and working directly alongside stakeholders to get to the root of problems and creatively solve them is an area in which I excel. Through a fresh & continuous collaboration process, we launched the company’s first customer-facing financial software tool and continued to enhance it every quarter.
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2017
Bringing it All Together
VP & Head of User Experience
Working in the financial sector, there’s not really much I can talk about (or show) unless it’s already public knowledge. However, I can tell you that I led branding and design strategy from a user-centric perspective at every point in the marketing and product life cycle.
By the time of my departure in 2019, Performance Trust had begun prioritizing the customer in everything they did—even in how they re-envisioned their core services.
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2019
Internet Publishing Start-up
Sr. Director, Customer Experience (Design)
By this point in my career, I started to think of myself as a “fixer”—that person you rely on when you have a very specific problem to solve. Like Performance Trust in 2015, UpCity needed a branding overhaul.
This was a smaller company, so after many discussions, I took the risk of stepping into a lower role (although the work was essentially equal to my current role). This was a risk I’ll never regret taking, because…
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2021
And Beyond…
VP of Product Management & Design
Today, I lead branding, products, research, and UX design from a user-centric perspective. At UpCity, we continuously strive to ensure we are delivering real value to our partners, all while supporting them along their journey with us by offering everything from individualized success plans to a vendor portal experience where they can take a hands-on approach managing their partnership.
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Thank you for joining me on my trip through memory lane. It’s been a wild ride (that’s for sure!) but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m grateful for all of the knowledge I’ve gained & shared through my non-linear experience and for how it has impacted my career. I look forward to whatever I’ll be learning next!
Looking for a traditional Resumé? No problem.