Hilton - Global Head of Design Operations - McLean Virginia

Established Design Operations practice across UI/UX, Content, Research, Experimentation, and Digital Accessibility for a 100+ person distributed organization.

• Strategic AI and Technology Integration: Spearheaded the integration of artificial intelligence tools, significantly enhancing user experience, design, and operational processes while ensuring stringent compliance with security and legal standards. Orchestrated the deprecation of five outdated tools, resulting in a 10% annual budget savings on a $20M budget and increased engagement from over 1200 non-design users.

• Global Design Systems Leadership: Launched a comprehensive design system platform, revolutionizing workflows and elevating cross-functional collaboration across a globally distributed team. Championed digital accessibility initiatives to ensure inclusive design practices. Oversaw design program management and served as key stakeholder for design, research, and accessibility at the enterprise portfolio management level.

• Policy and Financial Management: Architected and enforced all operational, expense, and technology/data retention policies for the department. Managed quarterly financial SOX controls and vendor relationship management, overseeing a $20M budget.

• Resource and Team Expansion: Skillfully expanded the department size by 100% within 18 months, leveraging project-based funding to drive growth and operational excellence. Developed and executed a recruiting strategy, enhancing team diversity and capabilities, and maintained low vacancy and turnover rates.

• Stakeholder Engagement and Advocacy: Advocated for design representation in product/tech planning and enterprise sequencing, ensuring design’s pivotal role in strategic initiatives, including user experience and research operations.

• Leadership and Talent Development: Cultivated a culture of empowerment by simplifying design, research, and digital accessibility processes and fostering continuous improvement. Led talent review and job architecture redesign, aligning team capabilities with organizational goals and providing clear career pathways.

• Executive Communication and Strategic Outlook: Delivered executive-level visibility into day-to-day operations, maintaining a strategic focus on long-term goals and organizational growth. Conducted risk assessments and cost benefit analyses. Developed and implemented dashboards for leadership reporting, enhancing transparency and decision-making.

NerdWallet - Head of Design Operations - San Francisco

Led, designed, and implemented design operations spanning brand and product design across 60+ person design organization.

• Financial and Resource Optimization: Directed a $30M+ budget, driving resource optimization and financial efficiency within a 60-person design, research, and accessibility team. Managed vendor relationships to ensure cost-effective solutions.

• Tech Stack Leadership: Governed the tech stack for 700+ users, managing subscriptions over $2M annually. Implemented innovative tools and processes to boost productivity and streamline workflows.

• Organizational Structure and Communication: Restructured the design job architecture, clarifying career pathways and enhancing team cohesion. Supported a remote-first environment through strategic communication initiatives, maintaining strong engagement.

• Cross-Departmental Coordination: Redesigned departmental policies, enhancing operational efficiency and aligning legal and IT functions. Established comprehensive policies for expenses, tools, files, and data retention.

• Productivity and Culture Enhancement: Introduced output-focused productivity metrics, fostering a performance-driven culture and maintaining low turnover by nurturing a supportive environment. Managed the ResearchOps function to streamline research processes and improve insights.

• Stakeholder Reporting and Insights: Implemented reporting systems in Jira/Aha! and developed dashboards in Google BI, delivering actionable insights to stakeholders and improving decision-making.

• Team Growth and Recruitment: Led talent review processes and developed a recruiting strategy to attract top talent, supporting the growth and diversification of the team. Emphasized user experience and design program management across all initiatives.

Market Traders Institute - Marketing Operations - Orlando

Directed daily Marketing operations across three brands/companies. Accountable for department health, revenue, and production.

• Strategic Leadership and Agile Implementation: Directed daily operations across three brands/companies, implementing Agile methodologies, including Scrum, to drive efficiency and performance. Led turnaround efforts, increasing departmental output and alignment with business objectives.

• Training and Development: Created and instituted comprehensive training programs, enhancing employee skill sets and promoting a culture of continuous improvement. Led Agile training as a ScrumMaster, facilitating team adoption and scaling Agile practices.

• Multichannel Marketing Strategy: Orchestrated comprehensive marketing campaigns across multiple channels, including paid media, email marketing, and ecommerce, utilizing Salesforce Marketing Cloud to drive significant increases in sales and customer engagement.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: Established business metrics to drive sales and marketing standards across B2B and B2C initiatives. Developed and implemented reporting and analytics frameworks using tools like Tableau and Google Analytics to measure campaign effectiveness and inform strategic decisions.

• Process Optimization and Cost Management: Optimized the management of the creative technology stack, encompassing tools for interactive design, graphic design, UI/UX, and video production. Achieved cost reductions through streamlined operations and vendor contract renegotiation.

• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Led cross-functional teams, including copywriters, designers, and developers, in developing and executing integrated marketing plans that aligned with overall business goals and brand strategies.

• Stakeholder Communication and Reporting: Provided regular updates and detailed reports to senior leadership, utilizing tools like Salesforce and Tableau to enhance transparency and support informed decision-making at the executive level.

Pearson - Digital Comms, AI, Partner Management - Orlando

Piloted organizational change initiatives across multiple functions and for staff at all levels. Oversaw organizational transformation and digitization - modernization of communication and re-architecture of cloud infrastructure.

• Conversational AI Implementation: Led the deployment of conversational AI systems, generating millions of bespoke interactions across multiple brands and products. This initiative significantly enhanced relational sales and marketing for high-complexity, high-cost degree programs, resulting in substantial revenue generation.

• Organizational Change and Automation: Piloted organizational change initiatives across multiple functions and staff levels. Championed and implemented enterprise-level automation using Salesforce ESP and CRM systems, enhancing efficiency and communication.

• Training and Procedures: Developed and instituted operating procedures and comprehensive training programs to support 300 sales and marketing employees, improving cross-functional coordination and skill development.

• Cross-Functional Project Leadership: Directed business requirements for enterprise IT projects, ensuring alignment with company goals. Managed digital communications for 40 clients, encompassing 300 products and 200 sales employees.

• Data and Analytics Management: Developed and managed reporting and analytics frameworks, creating dashboards and KPIs to support cross-unit use. Led a team of five analysts, fostering a data-driven approach to decision-making.

• Client and Stakeholder Engagement: Led internal and external stakeholder engagements, facilitating collaboration in a cross-functional environment. Developed shared efficiencies to support partnership expansion at two universities.

• Process Optimization: Implemented software and scripting to reduce errors and improve revenue forecasts, enhancing operational accuracy. Designed standard operating procedures and conducted training seminars for internal teams.

Strategist - BecKryger Capital Partners - Lakeland

Managed strategic projects across portfolio of companies.

• Strategic Project Management: Managed strategic projects across a portfolio of companies, focusing on operational efficiency and infrastructure development.

• Operational and Security Improvements: Defined and implemented operational procedures for cold storage and citrus processing facilities. Designed access control systems, clean rooms, and security protocols for multi-tenant facilities.

• Asset Management: Developed capital asset tracking and material asset tagging systems, improving inventory management and security.

• Marketing and Branding: Led the redesign of marketing and branding initiatives, including the development of web and print assets to enhance brand visibility and market positioning.

• Technology and Infrastructure Oversight: Oversaw the security and information technology infrastructure, ensuring robust and secure operations.

Co-Founder and Head of Operations - PF Solution - Lakeland

Envisioned and executed creation and manufacturing of consumer packaged product.

• Product Development and Manufacturing: Envisioned and executed the creation and manufacturing of a consumer-packaged product, overseeing all stages from concept to market launch.

• Operational Leadership: Managed marketing, legal (including patent acquisition), finance, manufacturing, and logistics operations, ensuring seamless coordination and execution.

• Cost Reduction and Efficiency: Implemented systematic processes for end customer, wholesaler, and retail onboarding, reducing costs of goods sold by 56%.

• Capital Management: Secured and managed $300,000 in capital investment, supporting the company’s growth and operational expansion.

Engagement Specialist - Florida Virtual School - Orlando

Oversaw innovation projects under $100,000. Represented state and stakeholder interests at national events and held multiple board appointments. Organizational stakeholder for enterprise-level projects.