About

The Scenic Route

Over the course of my career I've worked at start‑ups, privately held mid‑size companies and large Enterprise concerns. I have also been involved in founding several design‑based businesses.

Currently, as a Lead UX Designer, I lead project-based teams in the UX group at Blue Shield of California. These project-based UX teams work on initiatives that directly impact company revenue and comprise the core of the Blue Shield of California digital experience.

During this period of my career, I also branched out into the Entrepreneurial space and co-founded a Digital Agency — Reverbant. This agency specialized in software development & design as well as a professional services division.

Prior to this role I was the UX Design Manager at Blue Shield of California, leading a 10-person team consisting of Interaction Designers, Visual Designers, User Researchers, and Content Strategists. We worked collaboratively to create the next generation of digital health care tools.

Prior to Blue Shield of California, I led Gaffey Healthcare's Product Design team comprised of a Business Analyst, Front-end Architect, and Back-end Developers. This team designed functionally rich claims processing capabilities for the company's flagship medical billing & claims management application.

Prior to Gaffey and Associates, I was a Product Marketing Manager at Robert Half on the eMarketing team. Responsibilities included program management for the content management system for mission-critical line-of-business web sites.

A six-panel picture collage of aspects of my life depicted in photos - me alone, with my family, with my wife, two as a referee and a sole piture of my daugther holding her 4-H tropy

What I am grateful to have learned

I've had the opportunity to hold many roles which have allowed me to develop a wide range of experience over the course of my career. I appreciate the deeper understanding and the beneficial impact it has had on my becoming a design leader.

  • As a Graphic Designer I've come to recognize the value of design and how applying timeless design principles can favorably impact outcomes.
  • As a UX/UI Designer I've come to appreciate developing the skills to gain insights into better understanding what motivates users along with their desires and objectives.
  • As a Business Systems Analyst I have a greater respect for the importance of systems integration and the power of a Service Oriented Architecture.
  • As a Front-end Developer I've gained a tremendous amount of respect for how code has the heavy burden of bringing well-thought-out designs to life for users.
  • As a CMS Production Editor I've realized the critical impact that well structured content can have on the overall success of communicating a message.
  • As a Marketing/Brand Manager I've come to respect the sheer amount of effort involved to maintain brand integrity across all company communications and marketing initiatives and why it is so important to do so.
  • As a Product Designer I've become aware of the importance of the “larger picture” and the multitude of variables involved in successfully bringing a product to market.
  • As a entrepreneur and founding partner I've come to understand the value of people and how building a culture that elevates a team can result in transformative outcomes.