I'm a mixed methods design researcher passionnate about nonprofits and environmental conservation.

User Experience Research and Design

I have 20 years of design and research experience, working on- and off-site for clients in museums, conservation, publishing, ad agencies, nonprofits, and government.

Currently, I am a Senior User Experience Researcher and Designer at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC. I conduct user research online and in person, construct information architecture, and design online resources. I frequently collaborate with the Museum's Center for the Prevention of Genocide to learn what policymakers and researchers need to make informed decisions to prevent mass atrocities, and help create online tools to fill these needs. I also work with the Museum's Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies to research academic audiences and inform the Center's strategic initiatives.

Projects include the Early Warning Project, the online exhibition for Americans and the Holocaust, Experiencing History, and research for the development of educational resources for Ukrainian professors and students in the Holocaust Encyclopedia.

Conservation

In 2014, I partnered with the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Primate Specialist Group to create the Lemur Conservation Network (LCN). LCN unites over 60 conservation organizations working to save lemurs from extinction. This online platform builds collaboration among scientists, local Malagasy communities, and conservation organizations; raises worldwide awareness for lemur conservation; and promotes the World Lemur Festival and World Lemur Day. I now serve as LCN's Director.

I achieved a Masters in Conservation Biology from Miami University's Project Dragonfly program in 2022. I am interested in ways that audience research and design thinking can help us understand conservation issues and promote conservation action. I have completed field courses in Mexico, Guyana, and Paraguay, and visited conservation organizations across Madagascar.

Education

University Education

• M.A. in Conservation Biology at Miami University's Project Dragonfly Global Field Program
• M.A. in Non-profit Arts Management from George Mason University 
• B.A. in Graphic Communications from Penn State University

Training and Certifications

• Master Certification in UX, Nielsen Norman Group, Specialties in Research, Management, and Interaction, 2016-2022. Courses include Design Thinking, UX Workshops, Discoveries, Ethnographic Research Methods, Usability Testing, Research Ops, and more.
• Qualitative Methods; Monitoring and Evaluation: The Evaluators Institute, 2023-2024
• Qualitative Research Methods: Conversational Interviewing, MIT via EdX, 2020
• Sustainability and Behavior Change Certificate, UC San Diego Extension, 2020
• Project Management for Wildlife Conservation, WildTeam, 2020
• Google Analytics 101, 201, 301 and Google Tag Manager: Bounteous, 2019
• Collecting Social Media Data: Sage Campus, 2019