About Me...

Education / Certifications

• Masters of Geography - Kent State University

• Masters of Occupational Therapy - Cleveland State University

• Certifications in:

  • •  User Experience Design (Google)

    • CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies)

    • ArcGIS (ESRI)

    • Web/Game Accessibility (Microsoft & Google)

    • Project Management (Atlassian)

    • Front-end Development (LinkedIn Learning; in progress)

    • Mobility Management (NCMM; in progress)

    • Design Thinking (LinkedIn Learning & IBM (in progress))

Experiences

Education Sector

0.5 years as an Environmental Educator in Juneau, AK for AmeriCorps 

3+ years introducing inquiry-based Earth Science to K-12 as a National Science Fou

1.5 years as a school based Occupational Therapist

Technology / Design Sectors

2+ years implementing environmental software, training staff/users, providing subject matter expertise in Air Quality, gathering scopes of work, providing customer support

0.25 years influencing Equitable and/or Inclusive Product Designs at Lenovo and contributing to smart home planning

Medical Sector

5+ years as a licensed Occupational Therapist with main areas of interest in web accessibility, assistive technology, aging in place, ADA compliance

Planning / Environmental Sciences / Public Health

4+ years as an Air Quality Planner / Environmental Specialist

Advocacy

4+ years volunteering with iCanBike to teach individuals with autism to independently ride bikes

6+ years volunteering with the Northeast Ohio Down Syndrome Association as a fundraiser and mentor

8+ years volunteering as a coach, official, and statistician with Parks and Recreation

5+ years advocating for equitable treatment of my patients and ensuring client-centered and ethical care

The Multipotentialite

I embody the essence of a multipotentialite: a learner of all, a master of none—yet someone who thrives by connecting diverse skills and knowledge to create meaningful impact. This mindset has honed my abilities to rapidly learn, analyze, assess, innovate, collaborate, communicate, design, and implement change with purpose and precision.

Why did I transition from education to public health to occupational therapy to design?

Short story long: My educational journey began with aspirations of becoming a climatologist. During this path I received fellowships from the National Science Foundation to implement inquiry-based earth science in K-12 curriculum. This experience allowed me to gain expertise in educational design, lesson plan creation, workshop development, and even led to me conducting research in Iceland as a research assistance and later as a Teen Team Expedition Facilitator on glaciology. This journey would eventually lead me to becoming an Environmental Educator and Team Building Facilitator for AmeriCorp - I thought it would provide me the credentials to be taken seriously by government roles like Physical Scientist - it did not!

During graduate school as a Geographer I gained an internship with our local Public Health's Air Quality Department and would eventually create the divisions multipage website and its content. This role also granted me the opportunity to create a particulate matter advisory day forecasting model for northeast ohio - still in use today. Eventually, an opening occurred and off I went to be a Sanitarian in Training (i.e. Environmental Specialist) where I managed environmental programs (air quality monitoring & asbestos), investigated and enforced air quality regulations, and led community outreach initiatives. My desire to be more technical eventually propelled me into a role as a regional Air Quality Planner, where I led subcommittee meetings, influenced policy, and regularly presented findings to stakeholders.

Eager to expand my technical skillset (yes, still trying to be a climatologist), I transitioned to an Environmental Compliance software company. There, I cultivated technical proficiencies while gaining experience in customer support, scoping projects, building client sites, integrating software, creating custom forms with JavaScript, updating databases with T-SQL, managing a team, and leading comprehensive staff and customer trainings.

A personal tragedy—losing a childhood friend with spina bifida—shifted my priorities. This loss inspired me to pursue a more impactful and meaningful career. While working full-time, I began taking prerequisite courses for Occupational Therapy (OT) on weekends, traveling two hours each way to achieve my goals.

During OT school, I discovered my true passions lay in assistive technology, psychology, equitable design and web accessibility. Recognizing that my interests aligned more closely with design and planning, I pivoted toward a career that would enable me to contribute to a more equitable world. The catalyst - a student of mine was forced to take a state mandated test which blocked all accessibility tools (ease of access, eye gaze, etc.) and peripherals. This lead me to gain credentials in Web Accessibility and become a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). This education would later lead me to an impactful role at Lenovo in Equitable Design

As a consultant for Lenovo, I’ve had the privilege of impacting large-scale product design. I’ve developed and implemented inclusive design processes, ensuring products meet the diverse needs of users. Beyond traditional deliverables like personas and user stories, I’ve leveraged animatics to craft interactive experiences that vividly demonstrate user journeys and drive innovation.

What ties my journey together?

The common thread throughout my career is my dedication to:

• Empowering communities and users through education be it in-person, video, or document based

• Conducting and applying quality research to real-world problems.

• Improving lives through user-centered design and accessibility.

• Advancing social and environmental justice.

• Innovating and creating solutions that resonate.

• Providing actionable insights that empower decision-makers.

My path may be non-linear, but it’s united by a relentless curiosity and a deep commitment to fostering positive change.