I grew up in a small town in Missouri, fascinated by the digital world accessible through our 56k dial-up modem. As soon as we got internet access, I remember fiddling with tools that would allow me to create stuff. The ability to sit in front of a monitor and watch something go from "idea" to "reality" hooked me. After getting a business degree from Missouri Southern State University, I went on to the University of Central Florida to get my Masters Degree in Interactive Entertainment (a fancy phrase for video game development).
Professionally, I would work as a Game Designer at EA Sports in Orlando for a very short period of time before leaving the game industry and getting into digital product management at an education technology startup. That startup would get acquired by another startup, which would then go out of business 15 months later. My family would end up moving to Northern Virginia in September of 2015, where I'd take a job as a Product Manager at the DC location of Pivotal Labs. After two years, I moved on to run customer success at a DC-based startup building Alexa and Google Assistant apps, before moving BACK to Pivotal in a customer success role for our Mid-Atlantic customers.
While not my "day job," I spend a lot of energy teaching startups, founders, and small teams how to build better software. I've been fortunate to work as an instructor for two local programs, MACH37 and #Black Female Founders, where I conduct workshops and lectures on a variety of topics.
I've launched successful products and massive flops. I've worked with large Fortune 500 enterprises and one-person startups. I've led sessions for CTOs and interns, and I'm excited about sharing what I know to help EVERYONE build their tech-powered products and businesses.