Get to know me

Think of me as your helper, one of your guides. I want to make your vision a reality.

I began my career as a cyber security researcher and software developer. I've seen the massive losses that happen when users are confused, frustrated, and try to work around a broken system. I also know that software can be difficult to build and maintain, and I have a sense for what's easy or not.

I got into design as a hobby, mostly—making print journals, posters, and t-shirts to help my friends and find community. In my day job as a developer, we didn't have any designers, and I found myself disoriented and my users frustrated. What exactly were we building, and why? Everyone had a different answer.

So long before I had the title, I became the designer on the team. I sat with, talked to, and observed our users. Meanwhile, I had nurtured a passion for the people of under-resourced language communities, so I joined SIL and moved to Kenya to help them with their problems and see first-hand how they experienced our software. As a lone designer, I work with dozens of developers to make tools so people can thrive using the languages they value most.

I live with my wife and toddler near where I grew up, in sweltering Tarrant County, Texas. I came back after a decade away in Washington, D.C.; Hanover, NH; Bamenda, Cameroon; and Nairobi, Kenya. Raising a child has helped me delight in play and the delicate beauty of every human—big and small. Story has helped me to hold both the grief of loss and the goodness of life without dropping either.

When I'm not working, I long for to stroll through tall forests, climb granite mountains, and dive vibrant reefs. I find peace in the beauty of the world around me.