I’m a Product Designer and experience design strategist with 18+ years of experience transforming complex financial products into clear, trustworthy customer experiences at scale.

At USAA, I lead design initiatives across high-stakes financial products, including annuities and insurance guidance tools. I partner with product, engineering, and executive stakeholders to align strategy, validate solutions with members, and deliver experiences that help people make confident financial decisions.

Recent work includes:

  • Modernizing annuities storefronts to improve comprehension and reduce member drop-off

  • Establishing scalable information architecture patterns across multiple product lines

  • Embedding accessibility best practices that improve usability for millions of members

I thrive in ambiguous problem spaces, aligning cross-functional teams around customer needs and business outcomes. I help shape product vision by facilitating collaboration, applying systems thinking, and guiding teams from ambiguity to clarity. I’m equally comfortable rolling up my sleeves to prototype, test, and iterate from concept to delivery.

What drives me:
Making finance feel human by designing digital experiences that improve people’s lives.

Programs and Specialties
Product Designer | UX Strategy | Design Systems | Information Architecture | Accessibility | Financial Services

Product Designer
USAA · Full-time
Feb 2022 - Present
Lead product design strategy and execution for major financial products serving millions of members. Drive alignment across product, engineering, and executive stakeholders to simplify complex decisions and improve trust in digital guidance.

Key Outcomes:
• Modernized annuities storefront experience, improving clarity of financial offerings and reducing drop-off during member exploration
• Standardized information architecture patterns that scale across Life Insurance and Retirement tools, strengthening consistency and accelerating design delivery
• Embedded accessibility best practices, improving navigation, comprehension, and overall usability for diverse member needs
• Facilitate workshops and cross-functional sessions to shape product vision and ensure decisions reflect user insights and business goals
• Provide design leadership and feedback across teams to elevate quality and foster shared design standards
• Present design strategy and product recommendations directly to directors and executive stakeholders, influencing prioritization and shaping pilot initiatives

Health and well-being
Career break
Feb 2020 - Jan 2022
Invested dedicated time in personal well-being and sustainability following a demanding stretch in retail and ecommerce design.

Senior Designer, Brand Experience
Macy's · Full-time
Jan 2016 - May 2019
• Reimagined product detail pages, increasing conversion and customer satisfaction through a faster, more intuitive shopping experience
• Supported Lean Development Teams specifically geared towards interactive website enhancements.
• Partnered with teams to support creative direction, customer experience, usability, and functionality.
• Created concepts, specs, layouts, and identified new customer experiences
• Creative Lead for Responsive Header/Footer, Omni-Channel Fulfillment & Component Style Guide.
• Mentored and managed junior to mid-level product designers.

Graphic Designer, eCommerce
Men's Wearhouse · Full-time
Aug 2012 - Jan 2016
• Redesigned the Men’s Wearhouse site into a full responsive experience
• Trained the creative team on best practices and workflow for site asset creation
• Designed and implemented marketing promos and campaigns
• Concept development and integration of brand campaigns into the Men’s Wearhouse site
• Identified reusable patterns and advocated for consistency across journeys, helping teams align on a unified visual and interaction approach

Design Consultant
San Francisco Business Times · Contract
Mar 2012 - Aug 2012
• Worked with advertising team to design and produce ads for weekly publication

Graphic Designer
Zoosk Inc. · Full-time
Dec 2009 - Sep 2011
• Designed Flash advertising banners, landing pages and templates in more than 10 languages.
• Worked with marketing teams to test and improve creative through A/B and multivariate testing.
• Managed freelancers, provided creative direction on multiple projects and photo shoots.

Freelance Designer
Freelance · Freelance
Sep 2008 - Dec 2009
Provided designer services for digital and print.

Clients: Agency.com, Minted, Mercury Fitness, There.com

Visual Designer
Wallop · Full-time
Oct 2007 - Sep 2008
• Designed interactive cards and invites for: Purina, Warner Bros., Universal, Paramount, MTV, etc.
• Partnered with the development team to explain concepts and resolve implementation issues.

Graphic Design Intern, GamePro Magazine
IDG (International Data Group) · Internship
Aug 2006 - Mar 2007
• Designed pages for print in GamePro Magazine and Star Wars Insider.
• Created Illustrations to be used in GamePro Magazine

Production Intern, X-Play
TechTV · Internship
Aug 2003 - Aug 2007
• Designed pages for print in GamePro Magazine and Star Wars Insider.
• Created Illustrations to be used in GamePro Magazine

Education
The Art Institute of California – San Francisco
Bachelor of Science, Graphic Design
2003 – 2007

Certifications
Cornell University
Innovation Strategy Certificate
Issued Aug 2025 | Show credential >

Accomplishments
Make Magic Six - Driving & Making Results Award
Macy's - March, 2017
The PDP 2.0 lean lab delivered a newly designed product display page providing customers an improved shopping experience with a cleaner, faster, and better looking PDP. The new design significantly increased sales and improved customer satisfaction scores.