About

Below are some contributions I have made in teaching what I have learned. At the end you’ll find my story.

Industry & Leadership

    • Workshop & Presentation: Component Libraries

    • Workshop & Presentation: UX Workshop

    • Workshop & Presentation: Designing Your Career

    • Panel Discussion AIGA Central PA ReCharge

    • AIGA In Haus Kreativ

    • LCCTC Alumni

    • Blog Archive 2015 - 2019 Email Newsletter and Blog

    • Technical Editor of Interaction Design Textbook

  • View my portfolio here.

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 you’re too young to understand that last sentence, 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. At this point, I still wasn’t really aware of “design” as a practice, let alone a career path. One day, I found a Communication Arts Magazine issue at my college library. I knew at that point that “good design” was a skill I was missing in my toolkit. And, it was something I felt very connected to immediately.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.

From 2003 - 2011 I worked in various roles of digital design, marketing, branding, graphic design, and website design. I started to see the web as a product medium and set my sights on finding a role where I could help to craft a web application.

In 2011, I joined K-12 tech company Schoolwires. I worked both as an interactive designer for the marketing team and also as a designer in their product design team. I focused on mobile apps, design systems, prototyping, helping with user experience research, and interaction design. We were acquired by Blackboard, and our team helped with integrating into their product suite.

In 2017, I joined Pivotal Analytics as an early stage startup. I led the UX/UI design for their Healthcare Strategy GIS-based business planning tool until August 2024. 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.

Throughout my design career I have also been heavily interested in studying typefaces and hand lettering.

Nearing a decade ago, my husband and I built our home in a rural area of Pennsylvania. I have been working remotely for 15 years. When I’m not in my home office, I can be found away from screen time with my family camping, reading, serving at our local church, hiking, driving my ’68 Chevelle, or our Can Am through our fields or trails.