Anthropology + MBA

I excel at the intersection of these two fields of study. I have a deep reverence for and desire to understand context, and am also compelled to operationalize and design services that fit into these contexts.

Processes

I have deep experience managing innovation processes, from research design to insight development, facilitating a variety of workshops (ideation, co-creation, etc), and ultimately producing a detailed, field-tested concept, complete with business model, go to market, and suggested branding / positioning. I have also managed the launch of these new concepts, testing them in market, determining the critical product and marketing implications from customer and partner feedback, until they are ready for widespread launch.

I’m very comfortable with the project planning and management process, from writing a proposal to managing the budget and the team. Preferred tools and methods (Kanban, Asana, etc) depend on production environment, location, amount of travel, if team is remote, etc.

People

I’ve spent meaningful time embedded in a wide variety of user populations in order to derive insights and design (and test) new processes, products or services. Some of these populations include smallholder Colombian farmers, female Kosovar small business owners, Americans at high risk for heart disease, Canadian entrepreneurs, female Nicaraguan handicraft exporters, underrepresented rural American high schoolers, and recent Dominican and West African immigrants in New York City.

I’m skilled at developing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders of all levels, from users to C-suite. For me, building and managing these relationships is about developing a real, empathy-driven connection with your stakeholder, and using this understanding to create partnerships that are truly mutually beneficial. Through my facilitation and ethnographic work, I have also developed the skills to build environments of psychological safety, which goes a long way to building honest and lasting relationships.

Previously, employers have cited the following differentiated skills as assets to my work:

• “Ability to see the forest for the trees - can zoom in & out with unusual speed & clarity” - Caitlin Baggott, Oregon Bus Project

• “Exceptional creative problem solving, due to natural analytical skills as well as strong lateral thinking skills that allow her to make unexpected but thoughtful connections” - Iain Montgomery, Market Gravity

• “Amazing at communicating with people at all levels and great at thinking outside the box” - Rachel Greene, Rose Charities