About
DESIGN CONSULTANT & ART DIRECTOR
I help mission-driven organizations clarify their voice, strengthen their visual systems, and communicate their work with integrity and purpose.
I partner with nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, and editorial teams to translate complex ideas into clear, compelling design—work that supports understanding, builds trust, and helps people take action.
BACKGROUND
Early in my corporate career, I was told I was a strong art director, but that I would never be great because I cared too much about people.
It was meant as a limitation. Over time, I came to understand it as a strength, and it has shaped how I work ever since.
Caring about people shapes how I collaborate, lead creative work, and define success. It has guided my roles as an in-house art director, senior designer, and long-term design consultant across mission-driven organizations and editorial environments.
My work has focused on civil rights, environmental justice, public-interest media, and community-centered initiatives. I’ve worked closely with communications teams, editors, program staff, and leadership to create design systems and publications that are clear, credible, and sustainable—often within tight budgets and high-stakes contexts.
Freelancing taught me how to manage multiple projects, personalities, and priorities while staying responsive and reliable. Editorial work sharpened my sense of narrative, pacing, and audience. Years inside mission-driven organizations showed me that effective design depends less on polish and more on alignment, collaboration, and shared purpose.
Over time, my approach has shifted away from aesthetics for their own sake and toward meaning, clarity, and impact. Caring about people. And their lived experiences, cultures, and the issues that matter to them is the throughline of my work.
Design should clarify ideas and make it easier to engage with work that makes a difference.
SELECTED ORGANIZATIONS
Organizations and editorial platforms I've supported through in-house leadership roles, long-term collaboration, or project-based consulting.
YES! Media is a nonprofit, independent publisher of solutions journalism.
The Appeal is a nonprofit news organization exposing the harms of a criminal legal system entrenched in centuries of systemic racism.
The Justice Collaborative was a nonprofit advocacy organization focused on challenging systemic injustices in the U.S. criminal legal system.
VERA Institute is a nonprofit organization working to transform the criminal justice and immigration systems.
Lambda Legal is a nonprofit organization defending the legal rights of same-sex couples and their families.
APPROACH
- Strategy Before Aesthetics
Every design decision should serve a purpose. I begin by understanding goals, audiences, constraints, and context, so the work supports real outcomes, not just visual preferences. - Systems Over One-Offs
I design frameworks that organizations can maintain over time. The goal is clarity and continuity, not dependency on constant redesign. - Respect for Resources
Mission-driven work often operates with limited budgets and high expectations. I approach design with care for the people doing the work and the resources behind it. - Partnership as Practice
I work side by side with leadership, communications teams, and stakeholders, paying close attention, adjusting as realities change, and keeping the broader mission in view.
RECOGNITION
AWARDS
Print Magazine Award for Art Direction
Print Magazine Award for Graphic Design
Rx Club Award for Design Excellence
AS SEEN IN
Graphic Design: USA 50 People to Watch
Graphic Design: USA The Future of Technology in Graphic Design
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