Currently, I lead and mentor multidisciplinary teams across product, design, development, and marketing at Follett — the leading provider of books, education technology, and professional services to preK–12 schools around the world.
A career shaped by progressive enhancement.
My journey has taught me the compounding value of aesthetics and taste, connection and empathy, spontaneity and fun, as well as purpose and the greater good.
Fine Art & Illustration — or “a burgeoning sense of style, aesthetics, and good taste”
Kansas City, MO
I grew up in a thriving and eclectic art community. Between the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Kansas City Art Institute, and the diversity of historic Westport, art and culture were all around me. I was inspired by the great commercial artists of the 80s and 90s – I idolized Drew Struzan 1 and Patrick Nagel 2 – and always dreamed of illustrating the latest reprint of The Hobbit, Black Sabbath album covers, or posters for the next Star Wars special edition.
After college, confronting the real fear of a life starving in my parents’ basement, I saved up and bought my own copies of Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. I spent many long nights and weekends teaching myself to use these wondrous new tools, eager to get out and be a part of la revolución digital!
Art Direction & Copywriting — or “before you can change the world, you have to sell a little sugar water”
Jackson, MS
I printed, assembled, and mailed 25-page binders to every ad agency I could track down, and I was lucky enough to be given an opportunity as an art director with a dynamic team in the heart of Mississippi. 3 My creative director inspired me to see beyond the tools and techniques and focus on strategy and concepts.
Working with lifestyle brands like Viking Range, the U.S. Golf Association, and Mississippi Tourism, I learned that the real work was more than highlighting features and benefits. We need to understand the needs, desires, and situations that truly drive our decisions and actions. Think Mad Men, but with a lot less smoking.
Web Design & Development — or “the Wild West, Gold Rush, and Space Race all at once”
Columbia, SC & Madison, WI
The excitement was now happening online — gone were the days of magazine spreads and broadcast media. Now we could engage and interact with people in real time. And once again, I taught myself the new tools of the trade – HTML, CSS, and a bit of javascript – in order to ensure that my creative goals were fully realized. It was the dot-com boom of the late 90s/early 00s, and it felt as if anything was possible … because it kinda was.
I spent most of these years as creative director at a mid-sized digital agency doing great work for brands like Hasbro (remember Furby?), Fannie May Candies, and Scholastic. We pushed each other, but we also had each others’ backs — a close-knit group of thinkers, learners, creators, collaborators, and doers.
Product Strategy & Experience Engineering — or “it’s not about being the hero, it’s about making others the hero in their own story”
Chicagoland, IL
After working at digital agencies for several years, I felt a strong pull to focus my skills and intentions beyond shopping and entertainment. Feeling a sense of responsibility and purpose, I needed to contribute to the world in a more meaningful way. The web is more than a luxury — it’s a necessity. And it has the power to improve our lives and transform institutions for the better. Now more than ever, we need great design.
For the past 15+ years, I’ve immersed myself in an environment I care about deeply: education. I currently manage and mentor a small team of analysts and designers, responsible for a suite of purchasing and library collection management tools for K–12 schools in more than 162 countries worldwide.
Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.
Between better and more accessible tools, frameworks and free assets, and the advancement of AI, a certain level of artistry is now available to everyone. What was once exceptional is now commonplace. Beauty has been standardized, but at the expense of its soul.
Perhaps rather than continuing to outsource craft, we’ll find our way back to a deeper appreciation for it. We can buy a replica designer handbag and no one would know the difference. And one might think the proliferation of mass-produced copies would devalue the original. Yet, we continue seeking authenticity because we appreciate and respect the meaning behind it — the mastery and the materials.
Now that “good” design is seemingly ubiquitous, it’s time for hungry hearts and minds to redefine our expectations of great. Good is no longer good enough.