My Story

I was born and raised a small town in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. My first job was at a local diner with my brother, where my dad also worked as a teen. We had just purchased our first home computer in my junior year, but I was rarely home. I spent my teen years driving on back roads, working on cars, hanging out with friends, working hard and going to school. I had a curiosity of computers, but not enough to have a clue it could lead to more than the ability to check email, change my screensaver to tropical fish, or Ask Jeeves to see the same few Hanson photos. If that last sentence was confusing, feel free to consult Chat GBT.

I started out my career programming on the web in my Sr. year of high school by learning something brand new at our local Career and Technology Center. I loved it, and went on to earn my bachelor's degree in IT/Multimedia and Internet Production while working using the skills I had gained.

After a few marketing, designing and online promotional gigs, and lots of reading and learning, my skills improved. As the world of content management systems became the way to build sites for client authoring, I began to see the web as more of an application platform as my interest grew around creating digital products.

In 2011, I joined K-12 tech company Schoolwires as Sr. Interactive Designer while our team redesigned their web presence. When joining the product design team, I started with a focus on mobile apps, design systems, prototyping and helping with user experience research. As we became part of the Blackboard family, we pivoted into integrating our flagship product into the new system.

In 2017, I joined the Pivotal team as an early stage startup. I’ve been leading the UX/UI design for our Healthcare Strategy GIS-based business planning tool for the better part of a decade. We navigated the treacherous waters of the Pandemic healthcare and business world, while providing value to our customers and building a never-before-available platform. The GIS and multi-dataset nature of our product pushed my skills to new levels. I have learned so much more about data visualization, digital cartography, healthcare drivers, enterprise UX, and agile.

The same year, my husband and I built a home in our dream rural setting. I have been working remotely for 15 years. When I’m not in my home office or homeschooling my two children, I can be found away from screen time with my family camping, reading, working through Bible studies, worshiping or serving at our local church, hiking, driving my ’68 Chevelle or our Can Am through our fields or trails.