About Me
Curiosity | Creativity | Collaboration
Innovation Manager
I am a highly skilled Innovation Manager with a diverse range of experience in startups, growth, information technology, engineering, and more. My extensive knowledge includes network administration, operations, programming, coding, event organization, and corporate social responsibility. Additionally, I have experience in governmental relations, inter-agency logistical coordination, administrative support, communications, office management, political campaigns, mentorship, and statecraft.
I am known for empowering dynamic teams by imbuing integrity, inclusion, optimism, joy, and purpose into the organizations I join. I am always hungry for creative solutions to remove barriers and create opportunities for everyone to succeed. My passions for photography and current events also inform my approach to innovation, making me a well-rounded and versatile addition to any team.
Early Life & Education
Growing up in Southern California, with annual visits up to the Sierra Nevada, and growing up during the advent of the web, the iPod, and Google as a verb, I've always been drawn to the impact of tech on our lives and how precious our natural world is.
This led me to develop a passion for photography, hiking, and experimenting with new technology.
Witnessing the 1997 100-years flood in Yosemite Valley firsthand was an early lesson for me on the need to protect our world for future generations and the awesome power of nature.
I attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Fine Art with a speciality in Photography. My time at Earlham College not only solidified my academic foundation, hunger for learning, and perspective on the social justice, but it also exposed me to a diverse range of perspectives in a campus culture where the value of consensus was paramount, seeking to understand that truth in all of us that the Quaker tradition perceives to bring us to a greater truth. That culture exposed me to a variety of extracurricular activities, further nurturing my interests in the outdoors, photography, politics, and leadership.
Work Experience
Obama For America
I recall an early fondness for what was possible when I first learned in high-school and college about what our politics, at it's best and worst, was capable of. But it was here, knocking on people's doors in New Hampshire, Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, South Dakota - for the 2007-2008 Democratic Party Primaries, and later in the bellwether Bucks County, Pennslyvania for the General Election, where I learned what people wanted from, needed, and hoped to get from their government.
It was in the Obama Campaign, where the values "Respect, Empower, & Include," were paramount, that I learned firsthand the value of humility, and the opportunity for major impact with novel techniques, strategies and ideas in what reporters at the time described as "the first startup campaign."
The Obama White House
In the midst of the 2008 economic cataclysm I re-located to Washington, DC, working at the front desk of a local hotel on K Street, while I sought to find a chance to serve my country in an insitituion I had long admired since middle school.
I first began as a volunteer Advance Associate in 2010, later joining the administration full-time as a political appointee in the White House Office as an Information Switchboard Operator, routing calls from the general public, Members of Congress, White House Staff, the President and the First Family.
In 2015, I witnessed a transformative moment in American history when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of marriage equality in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges. That night, the White House was illuminated with the colors of the rainbow in recognition of this landmark decision. Seeing the symbol of our nation's executive power adorned with the emblem of LGBTQ+ pride, I felt an overwhelming sense of belonging and affirmation. It was a powerful reminder of the profound impact that policy and political action can have on individual lives and communities. This moment solidified my dedication to public service and reinforced my belief in the potential for positive change through collective action.
As I was privileged to be able to work on dozens of events at the South Lawn, Executive Residence, or suppoting the advance team on ad-hoc trips, I gained invaluable experience in the realm of politics. This opportunity ignited my passion for public service, and I became dedicated to using my skills to create positive change.
After growing up during the dot-com boom, and bust, I was excited to join the Silcon Valley leadership team trusted with building, maintaining, and updating Google's worldwide datacenter infrastructure. It was here that I experienced firsthand the rapid startup-style culture famous at the Mountain View campus, working on cutting-edge projects, supporting global projects with budgetary scales beyond most companies' market caps.
During my tenure with the Data Center Team, I had the privilege of traveling to the Google Singapore offices where I witnessed the celebrations of the groundbreaking victory of AlphaGo in 2017. This momentous occasion, where Google's AlphaGo AI triumphed over a human competitor, marked a significant milestone in the evolution of artificial intelligence. Being present at such a pivotal point in history spurred a profound realization within me regarding the transformative potential of AI. I became intrigued by how these advances could shape and revolutionize various aspects of our society. This experience played a crucial role in nurturing my interest and enhancing my understanding of the AI landscape, setting the foundation for my future work in MLOps and Large Language Models (LLMs).
Reflecting on these experiences, it's clear to me how much my first-hand exposure to the transformative power of AI, integrated with my technical background, has informed my perspectives and approach. Witnessing the real-world impact of AI solutions underscored the importance of robust infrastructure, diligent maintenance, and ongoing innovation. These insights have shaped my understanding of the field, enabling me to bridge the gap between technical intricacies and the development of impactful, user-focused solutions. As the world continues to embrace the potential of AI, I'm excited to contribute to this evolution, fostering an environment where technology and human ingenuity coalesce to redefine the limits of what's possible.
I thrived in the fast-paced environment, contributing to the development of innovative solutions and products that transformed the world's organization of information and how it's stored in Google's data centers across the globe.
Project N95
In the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic, at it's start, a small group of principled entrepreneurs, engineers, medical device insustry specialists, supply chain experts and health equity advocates formed an organization centered on increasing access to lifesaving PPE like N95 Masks, nitrile gloves and more for frontline healthcare professionals. What began as a loose coalition of several dozen volunteers later managed to ship over 5 million units of credible, vetted and legitimate PPE to doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals in the latter-half of 2020.
What began initially as an effort to collate databases of those in need and those able to supply those needs later became a preeminant national clearinghouse for authentic, affordable and accessible N95s for all when we opened our shop to the public in 2021. Purchases on the marketplace, written about in the New York Times as a more reliable and dependable place to get N95 Masks vs. Amazon, help power our non-profit's charitable mission to donate N95 Masks, air filters, and more to those without the means to purchase directly on our online shop.
As the CDC moved on from COVID-19 in May of 2021, and as I stewarded our brand presence on Twitter, I also led our team's collaboration with the NIH RADx initiative, making innovative new COVID-19 tests immediately available to the public and healthcare providers alike through our online shop. Later, at the end of 2021, as the Omicron variant spread across the globe, our site became a resource to the general public seeking protection from the far more virulent varient. As a result of our strident advocacy in continuing to espouse the value of masking to reduce infection, our non-profit recieived earned media coverage in major media outlets like NPR, CNN, MSNBC, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and more.