I grew up in a small town in Iowa as the youngest of four siblings, and went on to study Industrial Design at Iowa State University—Go Cyclones! Eventually, I made my way out to the Pacific Northwest and now live in Portland, OR with my partner and our dog, Bernie. I love getting outdoors for adventures and travel, and I’m always up for exploring any art or museum gallery I come across.

I’ve been the Creative Director at SteelBlue since May 2025. My day-to-day role involves creating and delivering visually compelling design solutions that support the brand across all channels. I am responsible for maintaining and evolving SteelBlue’s visual identity, ensuring brand consistency across digital, print, and retail communications. Daily, I design creative assets for marketing campaigns, product launches and promotions, including website banners, social media content and digital advertising.

One thing people would probably be surprised to know is that my job isn’t just about making things look good. A lot of it is problem solving – understanding the product, the audience and what the design needs to achieve, then figuring out the best way to communicate that visually. It’s much more strategic and practical than people usually suspect.

The value that resonates the most with me is Collaboration. In my role, the best outcomes always come from working closely with others across marketing, product and sales. Sharing ideas, taking feedback and understanding different perspectives helps ensure the work is not only visually strong but also fits for the purpose. Collaboration makes the process more efficient and ultimately leads to better results for the brand.

For me, the company culture at SteelBlue is collaborative, supportive, and fast-paced. There’s a strong sense of teamwork, open communication, and a shared focus on delivering quality work and good results.

One moment of pride for me was creating assets for our tradeshows such as data sheets, product posters and SteelBlue branded video content. Seeing my work in action on the show floor and knowing it was a useful tool that supported other members of the SteelBlue team, made me feel proud of the impact my work had beyond just the design itself.

If I could swap roles with anyone at SteelBlue for a day, it would be Brad Astolos, our VP of Engineering. I’d love to see firsthand how our products are actually made, from the design and testing stages all the way through to manufacturing. It would be fascinating to get a deeper understanding of the process behind the products we create and support.

My favorite work benefit is the ability to work from home. It gives me flexibility while also increasing my productivity.

On the side, I create my own colorful + geometric ceramic tile artwork, I’m an avid runner and enjoy a game of pickleball with my friends every Tuesday night. Also... I can do a decent Jennifer Coolidge impression.