Design Anthropologist
I’m design anthropologist who has spent over a decade working at the intersection of user experience and product management.
When not working, teaching or volunteering, you will likely find me learning. A self-described lifelong learner, I have earned an MS in applied anthropology, and MBA in Management Information Systems, a BS in Biotechnology, and a BBA in Computer Information Systems. I have also obtained certifications in Software Product Management from the University of Alberta, Project Management from University of California Irvine, ITIL Foundation Plus from Villanova University, and Lean Six Sigma (LLS) from Purdue University.
I am an avid reader, traveler, and lover of all things culture. I am continually seeking out new experiences across the world. Over the past nine years, I have had the fortunate opportunity to travel to 35 countries and engage in cultural immersion experiences, such as researching the vocalizations of Mantled Howlers in Nicaragua, working on a biodynamic and organic vineyard in Italy, and hiking the Inca Trail in Peru.
I am also a visual artist and musician and enjoy getting out into nature, practicing yoga, and meditating in my spare time.
I apply the methods and theory of anthropology to product management and user experience. Using ethnography, I help companies unlocks hidden insights with users, data, and products through qualitative research.
I am currently serving as Director of User Experience (UX) Design for UM Technologies, VP of Business Development of Appek Apps, and an adjunct professor at Misericordia University.
At UM/Appek Apps, I have led research, design, and product management efforts to ship and scale products in the enterprise and consumer space. I have led research, design, and agile product management efforts to ship and scale web and mobile products in the enterprise and consumer space. I have experience working in energy, biotechnology, healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, entertainment, fashion, broadcasting, and nonprofit. Customers or end-users of products I have worked on included Verizon, Dunkin Donuts, Bluecross Blueshield of Pennsylvania, Direct Energy, Taylor Consulting, Romeo + Juliet Couture, Sequencing.com, Special Guest App, and more.
To give back to the anthropology, product and UX community, I also volunteer and guest host for the podcast, This Anthro Life where I discuss business and design anthropology; and write articles on user experience (UX), user research, and design leadership for UserZoom.
Now that my UNT MS Applied Anthropology degree has officially been conferred, I am going to begin sharing information on my UNT anthropology thesis. To accomplish this, I am going to be posting many articles over the next few weeks that breakout key sections of my thesis into bitesize chunks suitable for a blog format. Following […]
If you are looking for an applied anthropology job, the task of finding one can often seem daunting. When looking at the large job boards, you will rarely find the word anthropologist in the job title. If you are lucky, the word ethnography will be included in the job description, but that is not always […]
Finding the best anthropology blogs is like finding the right journal articles – you can search all day in the wrong place, or you can use technology to enable finding the best. In the past, I had searched around and bookmarked many, however, I found I only repeatedly visited a few. Below is the list of […]
As a proud volunteer and guest host of This Anthro Life, I have created this post to showcase the business, technology, and design anthropology episodes. I plan to update it periodically as new episodes go live that fit within the business, technology and design space. About This Anthro Life Podcast This Anthro Life is a round-table […]
With user experience (UX) on the rise in industry, ethnography has become a hot term. Increasingly business leaders are asking for ethnographic research. As a result of this, many non-anthropologists have been asking me where they can participate in ethnographic research training courses. Since I have now been asked this a number of times, I figured I […]
Today most of us are time-pressed and often trying to learn on the run. Be it listening to podcasts or watching vlogs, learning from our mobile devices has become the norm. Given that, I have put together this short list of the best anthropology podcasts from my perspective. Give them a try. 1. This Anthro Life […]
