I genuinely love design thinking. I have completed projects in many market sectors, including corporate, retail, industrial and residential, and I have worked with every type of client and team. I understand the people who perform design as well as the clients paying for it. I recognize the motives and desires on both sides, along with the dollars and sense, and this is not a typo. Design is complex, but less so than the human experience with design and construction processes. This is where my talent to help guide both clients and co-workers is most valuable. Designers, if we’re being honest, typically come to the table thinking we know what the result should be. This is almost never the case when the process is being done well. Superior design is about exploration, examination, and discovery, resulting in a strategy informing the best solution. That said, I also know each client has their own threshold, and their own business case, for both the level of design they can handle and how much they will pay for it. Even if it is not explicitly stated, which it often is not, we must find that threshold. As designers, it is our job to give each client the absolute best we can, based upon their unique circumstances. As I tell my teammates, “You can only take them as far as they are willing to go, but get them all the way there!” 

My experience helps me assess circumstances and guide a team. Be it a design solution, engagement with people, a construction challenge, or a business decision, I can feel the movement of the experience and foresee the result. In my most recent role as design principal with Unispace, a global strategy and design-build general contractor, I was one of eight leaders for the North American design team with responsibilities for local, national, and global initiatives. I worked with the local sales team to develop new opportunities and win work with the likes of CWT and Cantel Medical. Since Unispace shares resources and talent across the country, I developed staffing and workflow schedules for multiple studios to keep our teams aligned and profitable. I also joined a variety of committees to formulate initiatives around technology, sustainability, and business protocols for our global team. My passion for teaching and mentorship led me to invest in educational, technological and professional development for my team members. I care deeply about the success of my colleagues. I seek to elevate and accelerate their growth by sharing my experience and knowledge. I am an excellent listener and compassionate motivator with the ability to inspire, as affirmed by Adam Eggert, associate technical designer on my Unispace team, who told me, “You’ve been the best manager I’ve had in my career. I’ve not had a manager who advocated for me and trusted in me like you did – and that meant so much to me.” 

Design is not easy, so we must bolster our teams as individuals and as groups so they can thrive and grow within our studios and the profession. The many processes, tools, and technology take years to command, so we must provide support and show appreciation for effort as well as talent. I have a proven track record here, as explained by former Unispace senior interior designer, Cadie Albers, who said to me, “Our success as a team was because of your leadership. You saw the potential in all of us and assembled our exceptional team of highly skilled professionals. You provided guidance with kindness and understanding that allowed each of us to utilize our strengths, but you also helped us to identify and work on our shortcomings. In my 18+ years of working in this industry, I have never worked with such an outstanding group of talented designers and all-around exceptional human beings.”

I hope to bring my experience, industry expertise, and design leadership to a world class organization where I can contribute to the growth and success of the team. I am eager to continue in the industry, especially with the current challenges of a pandemic. I would welcome the opportunity to demonstrate how I can help your firm reach its organizational goals in these trying times. Please contact me if you would like to further discuss my capabilities.