The Kind of Leader I Became Over Time
I started my career close to the craft. I cared about interaction design, visual details, and all the small things that make a product feel right.
As my roles evolved, I started paying more attention to the decisions happening around the design itself. I'd see teams doing good work individually, but those pieces didn't always come together as a consistent experience. I'd also see how decisions made early could affect a product long after it shipped.
That changed how I approached my work and eventually how I led teams.
I still care about the craft and the details, but I've become just as interested in helping teams establish direction, make better decisions, and understand how their work contributes to the larger experience.
What Shaped My Career
I've worked in very different environments throughout my career, from fast-growing consumer technology companies to large financial organizations. Each one has shaped how I approach design and leadership.
At Bottle Rocket, I worked across different clients and industries during the early growth of mobile applications. It taught me to adapt quickly and understand how different audiences approach technology.
At ooVoo, I led product design during a period of rapid growth. That experience taught me how important it is to keep teams connected as products evolve and organizations grow.
At Capital One, my work expanded across leading design teams and improving the practices that support them. I gained a greater appreciation for how expectations, shared standards, and the way teams work together can influence the quality of what gets delivered.
Today, at PNC, I lead mobile design across Retail Banking & Payments, helping shape experience direction and quality across native mobile products. My work has also expanded into emerging AI experiences, where I'm helping define how those capabilities should work for customers.
How I Lead
I ask a lot of questions. Sometimes it's because I want to understand the problem better. Other times it's because I think we're moving toward a solution before we've agreed on what we're trying to solve.
I try to give teams clear direction while allowing people the room to own their work. That means being involved when decisions need to be made, challenging things when they don't make sense, and stepping back when people have what they need.
I care about building trust, but I also believe in setting clear expectations and holding ourselves accountable. People should understand where we're headed, why their work matters, and feel comfortable challenging decisions, including mine.
Outside of Work
Outside of work, I spend a lot of time cooking. I like trying new things, figuring out what works, and just being in the kitchen. Most of that time ends up being with my family, usually cooking or eating together, with our two Frenchies always hanging around nearby.
I have gotten into restoring and cooking with cast iron over the years. It is a slower process and takes some patience, but I enjoy that part of it. There is something satisfying about taking care of something over time and getting it to a place where it works the way it should.
Voice acting has also been a part of my life for a long time. It is a completely different creative outlet, and it has given me a different appreciation for storytelling and how you connect with people in a way that feels natural.