Key Qualifications
20+ years balancing user and business goals to create engaging experiences via
- Passionate advocacy for user-centered design throughout a project
- Rapid prototyping tools and iterative revision processes
- Usable content strategies and information architectures grounded in metrics
- Curiosity and a philosophy of continuous learning and self-education
Recent Experience & Accomplishments
Lead Content Strategist (CXD)
Fannie Mae, 5/19-present
- Created Fannie Mae’s first voice & tone guide in partnership with Corporate Communications
- Established content standards as part of the Blueprint Design System resulting in more effective microcopy in applications
- Designing programming for first organization-wide Content Community of Practice resulting in a year-over-year increase in attendance of 225%
- Guiding development of the Customer Experience Design (CXD) group’s UX writing and content design practices
Sr. Content Strategist / Information Architect
Fannie Mae (contract), 01/18 – 5/19
Led the content strategy redesign for Fannie Mae’s Multifamily business unit resulting in
- a more transparent, customer-facing IA
- more user friendly, scannable content
- increased readability from requiring a grade 14 equivalent to a grade 8 equivalent on average
Lead Technologist, Digital Creative Communications Consultant
Booz/Allen/Hamilton (Aquilent), 07/16 – 01/18
Led content migration of NIAID AIDS clinical studies document site into Drupal by
- Evaluating existing site content for recency and popularity
- Creating custom taxonomies to facilitate faceted search of over 300 documents
- Conforming navigation and Information Architecture to best practices
Developed + tested consumer-focused Information Architecture for Store.SAMHSA.gov by
- Creating a detailed competitive analysis
- Using heuristic evaluation techniques to examine existing SAMHSA content
- Running a SMOG Analysis on existing SAMHSA approved language
- Writing tasks for Treejack test and analyzing results of responses by more than 45 testers
Led Content Team in Agile migration of Fitness.gov site from Staging through first product launch in Sprint 3 by
- Helping stakeholders and content owner to identify agency goals
- Analyzing site visitor statistics to determine users’ top tasks
- Performing ROT and content gap analyses
- Recommending information architecture and metadata changes to increase usability
UX+Project Manager / Front-End Developer
Rad Campaign, 04/12 – 04/16
Launched 8 sites as lead developer including:
- Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies “Quit Smoking” study portal (2014) – Live site | Portfolio
- Developed custom taxonomies, content strategy, and SEO resulting in first page rankings in search results for site.
- Helping Hands Monkey Helpers (2012) – Live site | Portfolio
- Developed content strategy and IA increasing findability and time on site and facilitating self-management by organization’s staff
- Keep Ken Out
- Developed content strategy and SEO enabling client to help defeat Ken Cuccinelli’s 2013 bid for Virginia’s governorship
Public Affairs Specialist (Digital Content Division), GS-14
U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, 03/11 – 04/12
Guided 14 programs in the Office of the Asst. Secretary for Health to useful websites by
- Training content owners and contributors in best practices for accessibility, usability, and Plain Language writing to all content.
- Providing priority guidance to vaccines.gov site managers to ensure user-centered design practices informed post-launch improvements.
- Analyzing results from cognitive and heuristic walk-throughs on vaccines.gov site.
Supported Digital Content Division in the Office of the Asst. Secretary for Public Affairs by
- Creating usability test scripts for healthcare.gov site brochure site.
- Designing HTML email templates for DCD managed sites resulting in 10% increase in clickthroughs.
- Developing and delivering training in HTML & CSS for 16 DCD staff members resulting in a 5% drop in change tickets for DCD’s contractor-led ticket response team which translated to faster customer service to DCD’s internal clients
Director of Online Communications
Clean Water Action, 10/06 – 03/11
Managed $80,000+ redesign using local and remote vendors to on-time, on-budget completion by
- Guiding multiple stakeholders through brand redesign for both 501(c)3 and 501(c)4 identities.
- Revising website information architecture to support users’ goals.
- Prioritizing content migration from flat HTML to Drupal to support acute program needs.
Supported Program and Development outreach by
- Creating a lapsed donor renewal program resulting in a 20% increase overall in online donations.
- Developing email welcome series resulting in 15% reduction in unsubscribes for new supporters.
- Writing easily understood, targeted calls to action for email blasts.
Other Experience
Director of Communications & Administration
Center of Concern, 10/04 – 10/06
- Designed + implemented new email subscriber contact program increasing retention by 50%
Online Content Manager, Association of Trial Lawyers of America
04/04 – 10/04
- Decreased by 35% spam reports on member e-newsletter through content optimization
Web Manager, Greenpeace USA
04/00 – 11/03
- Managed to on-time, on-budget completion 16-month, $60,000+ multi website redesign
- Implemented vendor relationships saving organization 98% per month on technology expenditures
- Created an user-friendly information architecture resulting in a 40% decrease in bounce rate and a 15% reduction in webmaster emails
Skills
- User Research
- Information Architecture
- Wireframing
- Prototyping
Tools
- Survey Monkey
- Optimal Workshop
- Axure RP
- Balsamiq
- InVision
- UXPin
- Photoshop
Education & Training
UX Designer Intensive
CareerFoundry, Berlin, Germany
Certificate – Plain Language Writing
Plainlanguage.gov Federal Employee training
M.A. – Film and Video Production
American University, Washington, DC
B.A. – Interdisciplinary: English, Politics, Psychology
Catholic University of America, Washington, DC