Recently, I was the Innovation Professor of Practice and Director of Innovation at the University of Portland, where I led a campus-wide interdisciplinary minor in Innovation. The program supported non-design students through a critical design thinking curriculum driven by industry-sponsored projects. In some cases, I mentored several student-driven startup companies to win awards at the InventOR challenge.
I have taught Augmented and Virtual Reality, and Interactive Media at Pacific Northwest College of Art, Interaction Design at Art Center College of Design, Web Design at OTIS College of Art and Design, Web Design, Typography, and Mobile UX Design at Woodbury University, and User Experience Design at Savannah College of Art and Design. My academic research interests include uncovering the strengths and worldviews of first-generation students in transforming design and innovation education and exploring the role of artificial intelligence and augmented reality in building learning experiences that impact social and sustainability initiatives.
Before joining the University of Portland, I was the Lead User Experience Strategist and Product Owner at Jaguar Land Rover. I focused on design-driven research of autonomous experiences and interactions with vehicles and mobility services. I served on the board of AIGA Portland from 2016 to 2019 as Content Director and then Chapter President and Treasurer. I received a Master's Degree in Media Design from Art Center College of Design with Phil van Allen as my mentor. My work has received awards and has appeared in publications such as The New York Times, The Western Institute of Nursing, and IEEE VISAP. My design roots start on the East Coast as a Senior Designer with Eddie Opara at The Map Office in New York City. Since then, I have worked alongside companies and clients such as Downstream, Intel, Jaguar Land Rover, Nokia, Pentagram, Razorfish, and more.
I collaborate with and consult educators, researchers, startups, and established organizations. I apply a mix of discursive design strategies and creative technology as a critical approach to shaping emerging and latent technologies that serve society and the environment.
Purpose-driven
Innovation that bridges design and technology, grounded in ethical and socially responsible approaches, drives the foundation of my practice. Over the years, my values and beliefs in design have significantly evolved, shaping a philosophy where purpose, experience, and transformative impact stand at the forefront of my work.
The north star of my practice is to:
• Activate imagination and creativity through critical design practices.
• Amplify design as a rational framework for social, environmental, and technological impact.
• Experiment with emerging technologies to interrogate the boundaries of the human experience.
• Center and empower the voices and perspectives of the marginalized within design.
• Activate imagination and creativity through critical design practices.
• Amplify design as a rational framework for social, environmental, and technological impact.
• Experiment with emerging technologies to interrogate the boundaries of the human experience.
• Center and empower the voices and perspectives of the marginalized within design.
Initially, traditional notions emphasizing art and aesthetics drove my work. I viewed design mainly as an exercise in visual and functional elegance, where the primary goal was to create objects and systems pleasing to the eye and effectively performing their intended functions. However, my perspective shifted as I engaged more deeply with various communities and global challenges. While aesthetics are important, the true power of design lies in its ability to serve a greater purpose—its capacity to affect lives, alter behaviors, and address complex challenges.
Today, I believe that design is fundamentally an expression of purpose, driven by our shared experiences with this planet and one another. This evolved understanding recognizes design as a transformative force—not just to beautify or simplify but to improve the human mindset. In this context, design becomes a mediator between technology and human experiences, a bridge connecting innovation with ethical and responsible applications.
My design practice now focuses on shaping a world where design is adopted and applied through a critical lens to shape emerging technologies that serve the good of society and the environment. This holistic approach considers the lifecycle of products and systems from conception to their ultimate impact on communities and the planet. It challenges the conventional design process by asking more profound questions: Who doesn’t benefit from this design? Whom do you truly seek to serve, and how are you doing so? What are the potential repercussions for the planet? How do we make responsible design choices that respect human dignity and ecological sustainability?
Current affiliations
Center for Humane Technology
Interaction Design Foundation
Portland Art Museum
Interaction Design Foundation
Portland Art Museum
Past clients and collaborations
