Design Professional | UX and Creative Leader

Experienced professional with a history of success building and mentoring multidisciplinary design teams that deliver world class creative, aligning to strategic business objectives and driving results. Excels in design, brand building and delivering design strategy for mobile apps, web, video and print. History of success building and running a consumer research lab (focus groups, UX testing), as well as driving client interactions with a focus on the ‘why’ behind all initiatives. Proven areas of expertise include:

• UX and UI Design for B2B & B2C

• Product Design

• Global Brand & Strategy

• Creative Direction

• Consumer Packaged Goods Design

2014 – 2019
NETSPEND, Austin, TX
Executive Creative Director (VP), Creative and UX

Executive leader for Netspend’s internal agency delivering creative strategy and execution for the financial services sector. Lead initiatives for research and testing to gather customer insight to influence product and marketing design. Guide the creation of creative assets for corporate brand positioning, mobile apps, responsive marketing sites, consumer packaging design and marketing material for Retail, B2C and B2B customers.

• Secured $500k in funding from parent organization for company rebranding effort, elevating the company brand equity with its core customers. Increased web organic traffic by 30%, and web conversion rate by 10%.

• Built best-in-class, in-house UX Research center to facilitate customer focus groups, UX testing and research.

• Instituted test and learn research and design strategies for retail CPG channel.

• Developed unique financial brands and launched over 10 white label programs for brands such as Samsung, Disney, PayPal, United Airlines, MLB, Western Union and Brinks.

• Created additional capacity in existing team headcount by process improvements and repurposing FTE resources to grow an increasing digital team.

• Mentored, grew and promoted leaders across the enterprise.

• Reduced external agency spend by $1.5m by restructuring team and cross-departmental bridge building.

2002-2014
NATIONAL INSTRUMENTS, Austin, TX
Brand & Creative Manager

Managed all internal and external creative initiatives, including branding, mobile, web, video, and print for a global audience. Internal team delivered marketing material for 40+ branches. Oversaw and directed integrated marketing campaigns. Head of the Agency of Record for National Instruments Worldwide.

• Produced first-ever global ad campaigns for NI worldwide.

• Developed/deployed comprehensive branding program for company and product brands, including positioning, strategy, architecture, visual branding and style guides.

• Increased sales conversion by 10% for ni.com by improving overall site usability and with the creation of web-based “advisor” applications.

• Created the brand/design strategy and managed execution for NIWeek, a premier Engineering conference with over 5,000 global attendees held in Austin, Texas.

• Reduced external agency expenses 60% by increasing branch usage of corporate resources through resource attraction.

• Established global agency relationships for development of a blended, in-sourcing/outsourcing model, without increasing existing budget.

• Managed multi-million-dollar budget for worldwide creative and production.

• Grew, led and mentored a team of 50+ design and production personnel.

OliveDesign, Austin, TX
Design Director

Identified opportunities for creation of useful entries or expansions into the Internet space and other new markets. Mentored/trained design staff that consisted of recent college graduates.

• Established new business and e-business strategy for “dot com” and traditional businesses, with a closing rate of 75%.

• Doubled the overall sales and billings of the company over the course of 2 years.

• Provided business development, strategic consulting for customers, design/art direction and information architecture for all projects.

• Guided total client experience including setting and exceeding expectation level.

• Oversaw an increase in company’s product offerings including web usability and proprietary content management system.

Prior to 1999, I was an art director at a small ad agency in Walnut Creek California, built and managed an in-house design agency for a national temporary placement agency and built an internal design department for a cable Television station, all in the San Francisco Bay Area.