I'm a community-centered design strategist with an appetite for systems thinking and communication design. Here's [ some of ] what I believe in:

 

Research to reframe.
Surface-level questions can lead us to shallow answers. When I want to find a root, getting my hands dirty with research helps me map out the landscape of a situation, bring to light new perspectives, and reexamine what it is we're really seeking: "What else is waiting to be uncovered and explored?" 

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Relationship-focused, interdisciplinary collaboration. 
We know that diversity of thought, experience, and expertise benefits problem-solving. Strong communication tools bridge efforts along the way, so we can imagine and take meaningful risks together. My favorite tools bring people together and set the stage for community-led inquiry, insight, and action — building enduring relationships along the way. 

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Visual thinking and imaginative play. 
Nontraditional methods — like sketching, diagramming, system & journey mapping, spatial design, role playing — can unclench our thinking and help us communicate more effectively throughout a process... whether that's reframing a problem, testing assumptions, prototyping possibilities, or tending the fire of inspired action.

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Acknowledging and using power for the greater good.
Inevitably, designers end up as systems gatekeepers. We must... 1. assess the rooms we find ourselves in, to see who is and isn't there. 2. reexamine doubts we have regarding our own power, to challenge the status quo around and within us. 3. make space to listen, even when uncomfortable and inconvenient. 4. however imperfectly, keep ourselves, our work, and other power-holders accountable in contributing to a just and equitable world. That can mean opening doors or knocking down walls one brick at a time, all while turning over our own stones of complacency and complicity.

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I strive to follow the principles described by the Design Justice Network. 

 

What I've been up to...

Since 2021, I have been helping launch and scale a new kind of public safety department made of mental health professionals in Durham, NC. I share more about some of my contributions to that work here.