I started life endlessly curious about how the world works. 

Somewhere along the line this curiosity shifted--from how the world works to how people work, and how we interact with the world around us. Long story short I still don't have the answer, but it took me on a fascinating detour through the world of cognitive science, perception, and linguistics.

This led to a career as a consultant and researcher, trying to better understand the connection between thinking, language, and behavior. Throughout this time I was unwittingly building the core competencies for UX Research, including contextual interviewing and facilitating groups both large and small.

When Philadelphia University launched its Strategic Design MBA I joined as a pioneering member of the first class, taking the leap to be part of something new and unknown. The risk paid off; it was there I discovered that all my life I've been a designer, finding joy in products that ‘just worked’ and frustration in those that ‘just didn’t.’

Today I combine curiosity, design, and a love of data to conduct usability research of all types.

EXPERIENCE

Take a look at my resume

INTERESTS

Perception

I'll never forget when I first realized that we see with our brains, not with our eyes--that what we see and what's out there aren't at all the same, though they mostly do match up well. It instilled in me a deep appreciation for the fact that my view is not the only view.

Linguistics

A freshman seminar led me to a love affair with words that I never would have expected. It's the most powerful tool we have, and yet its impact is often hidden in plain sight. It can be as rough as a rusty hatchet or as precise as a surgeon's scalpel. It's staggeringly complicated, yet mastered at a young age. Few people know all the rules governing a grammatical sentence, and even fewer people ever break them. In the words of that insatiably curious blue monster Grover, "is that not fascinating?"

UX Research & Design

Never in my life would I have called myself a designer, until I went back to school. My MBA gave me frameworks and a vocabulary that brought clarity to the way I've always thought. There I realized that as much as I love solving problems, I love finding them even more. The world always looked broken to me. Now I realize it just hasn't been designed.

Cooking

The kitchen is where I go to lose track of time. I rarely wake up early to exercise, but if I need to be up at 4am to get a brisket in the oven, that's a no-brainer. It's an opportunity to work with my hands and create something, and the best part is you never know exactly how it will turn out. I love the physicality of it, I love the smells, and I love the surprise of taking that first bite. Like language, I find food to be both simple and complex.