Design Leadership

My leadership style is rooted in servant and transformational leadership, and I believe in the following:

  • Good design is good business

  • AI amplifies creativity, not replaces

  • Keep learning — or get left behind

  • Design with data, validate with users

  • Lead with empathy — listening is UX’s #1 skill

  • Smile & drive — the journey matters as much as the destination

A close-up of a coffee cup with a spoon next to it, on a wooden surface.

“You won't always remember the design, you will remember the people.”

A collage of various photos including people at events, meetings, and outdoor locations, along with some drawings and landmarks.

Pantheon - San Francisco (2022 to 2025)

New Relic - San Francisco, Barcelona (2021 to 2022)

Collection of photos from a corporate or tech event at New Relic, showing people in meetings, presentations, team-building activities, and social gatherings, including group photos, workshops, and a cityscape of Barcelona.

Walmart / Vudu - Silicon Valley (2015 to 2020)

2020 Vudu Design Team
A black and yellow hourglass with sand flowing from the top chamber to the bottom

Leading designers is like fueling innovators. It's not realistic to "manage" talent, instead partner in their evolution by providing support, guidance, challenge, and influence.

Evolution is a keyword here. Design progresses at a warp-speed pace; tools, processes, trends need consistent attentive education. Daunting indeed, designers enjoy distraction-free direction from an incognito leader whom they trust. In turn, to earn that loyalty, fuel engagement, and produce progressive, creative work, it's foundational to have a design leader who "gets it" and "gets them."

Leadership

Group of seven diverse people posing together indoors, smiling, some making playful gestures, with name tags on their clothing.

  • Recruit talent

  • Retain talent

  • Produce quality, data-informed design with velocity

  • Manage up

  • Manage down

Culture & Diversity

Group of ten diverse people enjoying food and drinks at a restaurant table.

  • Passionate about recruiting and mentoring next generation underserved and marginalized designers

  • I look for raw talent, culture-fit, respect for differences, and shared common goals

Respect

A carnival game with a green enclosure and a yellow back wall, with a person playing and others watching nearby outdoors on a grassy area.

  • Give respect and space to thrive without micro-management

  • Challenge, educate & support designer needs

  • Lead by example by being the leader I want my leadership to be.

A close-up of a computer keyboard with black keys and white lettering.