I'm a designer who runs a business that revolves around the internet and other small businesses.
I have a passion for technology and believe that the internet and new tech can really make a positive influence in our businesses, our lives and our planet. I think that design is the link between technology and the people that use it; making complex interactions easier to understand, more user-friendly and more effective. My background is in marketing and entrepreneurship – two key areas that will drive innovation and new technology adoption in today's economy. I believe that the new world of marketing is not one that simply pushes product on people – it is one that listens to consumers and businesses and finds the best solutions to problems in a crowded market.
Education
I graduated from Northeastern University with both a BFA in Graphic Design and a BS in Business Administration & Marketing. Although I went to school to study business initially, I ended up taking in doses of music, history and philosophy before I ended up with my double degree. Northeastern is one of the pioneers in co-op education – which made a big impact on my career. Being in classes for half of the year and working full-time the other half gives you the opportunity to experience the working world early-on and evaluate whether or not it's really what you want to do. After my first co-op experience, working at a cubicle on computer systems for a very large company in Boston, I realized that my business degree alone wouldn't actually let me do exactly what I wanted. Before the end of that stint, I had added a second degree in design, and ended up finding more of a home in the design studio that I ever did in a business classroom. My second and third co-op were at a small design and web-development studio in the city – a much better fit for me. Because of the experiences I had on co-op, I was able to fine-tune my curriculum to offer me insight on exactly what interested me, so I ended up studying new things like internet marketing, SEO, UI and UX. Studying and researching alongside of professors who are literally writing the textbooks for emerging disicplines and following that with actual experiences on the job allowed me to hit the ground running after graduation and enabled me to start my business while still in school.
Life
When I have free time apart from work, I love spending time outdoors – in the summer you'll find me racing road bikes, mountain biking or rock climbing. In the winter I'll be skiing, snowboarding and climbing mountains. All year round I commute by bike and have a camera either hanging from my neck or strapped to my helmet. Right now I happen to be riding my bike across the country – from Boston to (hopefully) San Francisco. I still work (almost) full days from the road using wi-fi at cafes along the way, or using my phone for a connection when I need it. My bike happens to charge all of my portable electronics as I ride thanks to my friend who happens to be an electrical engineer. Technology is great.
