My background is in high-stakes analysis - assessing complex systems, identifying what actually matters, and communicating it clearly to the people responsible for acting on it. That’s still the work I do today, the output just happens to be design.

I spent five years as a Marine Corps Intelligence Analyst, deploying to active war zones and working with joint and allied commands across three continents.

After leaving the Corps I moved into risk management and later led cybersecurity response teams in the international financial sector.

In each of those environments the core task was the same: figure out what’s actually broken, move quickly, and make sure the solution holds up under pressure.

For a decade I also taught partner dance, Brazilian Zouk, across the United States and internationally.

Working with people in that setting goes far beyond teaching movement. The experience gave me a deep appreciation for how people navigate trust, uncertainty, and collaboration. It’s part of what pulled me toward UX, and it continues to shape how I think about human behavior inside complex systems.