It’s 10 minutes into the period and you can tell no one in the class is getting it—vacant, glazed over expressions stare back at you as it becomes clear that the lesson you spent all week preparing is just not clicking. 

My background as a high school English teacher has taught me how to improvise (among other key skills, like Shakespearean pool noodle duels). Over the years, I’ve collected a lot of tools in my toolbox, but I’m not afraid to pivot when things aren’t going to plan—whether that’s facilitating a session, interviewing a user, or when the team is hitting a roadblock. I’ve applied my classroom skills to workshop facilitation in addition to design; I’m not afraid to be silly, and I ask a lot of questions.

Today, I’m excited by bringing clarity to complex spaces (even if they aren’t the “sexiest”). I love making sense out of ambiguity, and—somewhat paradoxically—enjoy perfecting processes so that my team and I can focus our attention on what really matters.