How I Lead
Taught to lead in a field, not in a conference room.
I studied psychology and philosophy because I was fascinated by how people perceive the world, what they value, and how they make meaning. That curiosity has shaped everything since.
I spent about ten years in Army medical operations and left as a captain. I mentored junior officers and ran exercises for 100 to 150 medical service members, sometimes in conditions where everyone was cold, hungry and sleeping in the rain. That's where I learned that a calm leader makes a calm team.
I moved into UX to take the strategy and analysis I'd developed in the medical services somewhere with more room for creativity and invention. (Also, I was ready to stop sleeping outside.)
Every company I've joined has had little or no research maturity. I enjoy building the frameworks from scratch, and I tend to think in systems: how intake connects to priorities, how priorities connect to impact, and how all of it connects to the people doing the work.
- EducationPsychology & PhilosophyPerception, ethics and how people make meaning
- Army ReserveCaptain, Medical OperationsLogistics, planning, and mentoring junior officers
- Fintech startupZenmonicsSole researcher on a banking platform for banks and credit unions
- Global enterpriseFISBuilt segmentation and research frameworks at enterprise scale
- Aerospace dataCiriumRedesigned a developer API studio for aviation teams
- Digital bank · SMBCJenius BankBuilt the research function from zero and led a team of six
My leadership principles
Five qualities my team can count on.
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Perceptive
I read people quickly and close gaps fast. I listen first and notice when something's off. I surface unspoken frustrations and blockers.
I don't wait for a performance review to have a real conversation.
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Supportive
I want everyone on my team to feel seen and heard. I stay composed when things get tense, and I'm a steady presence for my team and others.
Learned leading exercises of 100–150 people in rough field conditions.
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Accountable
When something falls short, I own it first. Setbacks and disappointments become a chance to learn and improve, not a reason to look for someone to blame.
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Adaptive
Structure where it helps, autonomy where it doesn't. We build standards as a team and break conventions when new ideas serve us better.
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Strategic
I align each person's goals with what the business needs, and I balance skills across the team so we can cover more ground and learn from each other.
How I guide teams
A team that runs on shared wisdom.
Everyone should know how their work fits the bigger picture. I share what's happening across teams and leadership, so people can see where we fit and where we could shift to do better.
People grow by leading something real. I back my team when it counts, make sure their work is seen by the right people, and step in when they need reinforcement.
A weekly team meeting and an informal weekly 1:1 with everyone. It's a safe place to talk about the work and about working relationships, including the frustrating ones.
Growing the business
Earning a seat earlier at the table.
At a company with no research culture, research starts out reactive: someone has an answer and wants it validated. I move teams through three stages until research is shaping the question.
Awareness
Teach the business who we are and what we can do. Win credibility on the highest-value launches first, and document methods and timelines so people know what to expect.
Momentum
Meet stakeholders where they are. Offer realistic alternatives instead of a flat no, find out where requests come from, and ask to be in the room earlier.
Structure
As the team grows: an intake process, a visible backlog, a repository, a playbook, a steering committee, and an impact tracker that holds everyone, including us, accountable to outcomes.
AI philosophy
AI where it's safe. Human where it matters.
Using AI well isn't just prompt writing. It's task delegation: knowing when to hand off decisions, and more importantly, when not to. Here's three things I look for in every AI workflow.
Plan with AI before it executes. Agree on the strategy, steps and prompts up front, because alignment early prevents chaos later.
Don't judge only the end state. Review outcomes at each step, starting with the highest-error areas, and have the AI check its own work before it moves on.
Some decisions stay human. When accountability matters, someone needs to own the outcome, and that's never the model.
Open to new opportunities
Let's work together
UX Research Director · Head of Research · AI Strategy, remote or relocating