I've sat on both sides of the table.

I've built a business from scratch, led creative teams inside established organizations, and helped brands figure out what comes next. Along the way, I've learned that great creative work isn't just about how something looks. It's about understanding the business behind it.

My perspective started taking shape in 2010, when I launched an eco-friendly clothing line and ran it for six years alongside my day jobs. Building something of my own taught me that brand decisions don't happen in a vacuum. They happen alongside budgets, competing priorities, ambitious ideas, and the realities of running a business.

My career began with the small, hands-on team behind Pati's Mexican Table, now an award-winning PBS series, where I worked across content, digital marketing, design, and sponsorship materials as the show was finding its footing.

At the Smithsonian, I rose to Digital Creative Director, spending nearly a decade shaping creative across its media and museum divisions. I led creative across five major media websites, partnered with advertising teams on revenue strategy, and directed the redesign of Smithsonian magazine's digital experience. I also worked with Smithsonian museums on exhibition visual identities and digital experiences.

Next came Grid, a news startup, where I served as Head of Design. I created the logo and visual identity, shaped design strategy across more than a dozen products, built the design team, and directed the illustration and graphics style that helped define the publication. When Grid was acquired by The Messenger in 2023, I continued as Head of Design.

In 2024, I joined Hydroviv, a direct-to-consumer water filtration company, as Head of Creative and Design. I led a complete brand overhaul built around one strategic insight: water filtration should be customized to where you live. That meant rethinking everything from the visual identity and messaging to photography, packaging, and the customer experience.

Different industries. Different challenges. But one consistent thread: connecting the creative work to what the business actually needs.

Today, I run my own practice, working with founders and marketing leaders as a brand strategist and fractional creative director. I bring the perspective of someone who's built a business, led creative teams, and sat in the meetings where creative decisions have to make business sense.