“Research is Formalized Curiosity. It’s Poking and Prying with a Purpose
”
SPEAKER
A dynamic sought-after international speaker, panelist, moderator & MC. I am a voice and activist for the importance of representation, diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity within the UX, Design, Product and Tech industries. My passions & talents include dropping gems on the importance of education, career re-skilling and UX industry knowledge for both novice and experienced audiences
UX DESIGN RESEARCH LEADER
Over 20 years of professional experience including, Project Management, Sales, and Customer Success, have contributed to my successful career as a UX Design Researcher & Manager in Silicon Valley. Prior to joining the world’s largest professional networking site, I was a UX Researcher in Atlanta, GA, where I guest lectured at Georgia Tech’s highly acclaimed MS-HCI program and was also the founder & president of the Atlanta Chapter of User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA).
A proud HBCU alumna from Savannah State University and graduate from the University of California, Irvine with a Masters in Human Computer Interaction and Design, I have also had the pleasure of judging Stanford’s d.School Design Thinking for User Experience Project Expo 2018 and 2021 competitions.
CULTURE LEADER
As part of LinkedIn’s Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), I was the Campus Lead for LinkedIn’s SouthBay Black Inclusion Group (B.I.G) for 3 years where I helped to create an active and present community black and brown employees at LinkedIn and throughout the South Bay, California. I also initiated & led Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives throughout the company & Design organization as a founder of the Black by Design collective. I speak my truths and truth to power with an unapologetic boldness in order to make change happen.
I currently sit on two Bay Area non-profit boards where I use my voice & influence to advocate for underrepresented communities.
Upcoming, Past Speaking Events & Appearances Below:
2023
-More Events Being added-
Black is Tech
Featured Speaker: Leading Influence & Impact with UX Research
2022
ADCOLOR
NOVEMBER 2022 | Ad Influencer Nominee
/dev/ color
JULY 2022 | Speaker
UXCON VIENNA
SEPTEMBER 2022 | Keynote Speaker
Harvard x Design Conference
March 2022
State of Black Design
March 2022
User Interviews Class of 2022
Most Influential Voices in UX Research. Yearbook. Celebrating the thought leaders and change-makers in the field.
MAY 2022
2021
African American Community Agency
Rock Your Profile Community Session with students and professionals in the community.
EPIC 2021
October | Session Moderator
Case Studies “Wellbeing in the Future”
AMUSE UX
October | Speaker
Budapest, Hungary
Design Camp 2021
OCT 2021 | Keynote Speaker
UCI Speaker Series
August 19, 2021 | Speaker
SPOTIFY
Insights Unwound Conference
Internal International Research Conference
April | DAY 1 Speaker
Black Design
Past Present & Future
March | Featured Speaker
UXify Eindhoven Netherlands
March | Featured Speaker
30th Annual BCAF
March | Keynote Speaker
TransformHER ‘21
March | Speaker
Watch Here at the 2:12:21 Mark
UC Irvine Panelist
March | Alumni: Women’s HerStory month speaker
Black UX Labs
March | Fireside Chat Guest Speaker
UXResearch Conf.
February | Day 3 Speaker and Panelist
Microsoft Speaker Series
February | Featured Guest
YARD CON
February 2021 | Guest Speaker
Ladies that UX
Featured Speaker | Organizers shared this event was the highest RSVP and most attended event in the history of the organization
It’s Not That Complicated
Featured Guest | Watch on You Tube
In/Visible Talks Conference
Rock Your
LinkedIn Profile
Presenter
2020 EVENTS & APPEARANCES
UX Master Class
Sister Circle: Black Women in Tech Webinar
HubSpot Podcast
Technically Speaking Podcast
Featured Guest Head Wrap Session
Virtual Session with over 40 guests.
FIGMA: Work Better Together
SQUADS: Invision Documentary
Virtual Screening and panel discussion with some of the people featured in the film, like me!
Time4Coffee Podcast
Black is Tech
September 2020 | Conference Speaker
UC Santa Barbara Design Series
August 2020 | Presenter
Our Tech Story
September 2020 | Guest Speaker
The State of Black Design
September 2020 |Featured Panelist
Social Change through Design
September 2020 | Panelist &Workshop curator
HUE DESIGN SUMMIT
July 2020 | Host of 2 Day Virtual Summit
Register & Details: www.huedesignsummit.com
Juneteenth Event
June 2020 | Speaker
Anita B.Org and LinkedIn Rock You Profile event
August 2020 | Speaker & Presenter
Linkedin: TRANSFORMHER
June 2020 | Moderator: Active Allyship
Click for the TransformHer Virtual Event Replay
South Africa
Virtual Event
June 2020 | Featured Speaker
Women Empowerment Series-
Ask Me Anything
May 2020 | Featured Speaker
Helping college students navigate their careers during COVID
2019
Empower 1000
May 2020 | Panelist
High school and College Student event to teach students about LinkedIn and the various career paths available in Tech.
2019 Enterprise X Conference: Career Journey Talk
My entire professional journey molded me into the successful UX Design Researcher I am today with a wide reach with stakeholders, cross functional partners, customers/users & team members In the Enterprise space. Watch and listen as I take you along my journey.
Speaker:
AfroTech
November 2019 | Oakland,CA
All roads lead to Oakland Nov 7-10th for the biggest and best tech conference for the culture.
Topic: Going fromTactical to Strategic UX Work
Moderator:
Inneract Project 15 Year Celebration -
October 2019 | San Francisco
Inneract Project empowers the next generation of black and brown youth designers. The organization is committed to design education as well as the path towards inclusion and representation.
Topic: Empowering the next generation of creatives
Panelist:
Creating a Culture of Responsible Design
August 2019 | San Francisco
Topic: Design Ethics for diversity & inclusion.
Speaker: University of California, Irvine.
September 2019 | Irvine
Commencement Speaker
Speaker:
HUE DESIGN SUMMIT
July 25-28 | Atlanta
Topic Day 1: How to Design your UX Career
Topic Day 2: How to Rock Your LinkedIn Profile
Speaker:
Black is Tech Conference
Speaker:
TECH INTERSECTIONS
January 2019 | Mills College- Oakland
Topic: Building Unbiasedly: Why UX Research and Design need more women of color
Website
But wait… there’s MORE
Rock Your Profile Presentation and Panel Session: San Jose African American Community Service Agency (AACSA)
YEAR UP: LinkedIn Coaches Panelist
Rock Your Profile: Presenting as SalesForce and LinkedIn Black ERG’s join forces to Empower Young Black Men
Rock Your Profile: Presenting as SalesForce and LinkedIn Black ERG’s join forces to Empower Young Black Men
2018
GIRL GEEK
Speaker: “ Research and Designing for Privacy”
Revision Path: Episode 238
As a guest on the award winning podcast Revision Path, I got to drop some gems about being a Design Researcher, how my winding road of twists, turns, ups, downs, led me to UX in the Valley and how my passion for giving back keeps me going.
Lean In | FaceBook
Live Interview
"Rock Your Profile" | Girls Scout Professional Development Mentor
Georgia Tech MS-HCI | Guest Professional Lecturer & Lab
Just a DOPE pic of NIKE Design Legend TINKER HATFIELD, creator of the Jordans signing my only pair OF Jordans!
This exercise was to illustrate how, when given the same instructions, people can still interpret them completely differently. In UX, it's important to not assume people are just going to "get it".
MODERATOR | #LinkedInCoaches Event YearUp Young Professionals
Mentor and Judge | UC DAVIS Ideathon 2018
UC DAVIS
Mentor and Judge for product design competition where students created product concepts, created low fidelity prototypes, conducted user interviews and pitched their product designs all in one day.
Good Ol’ Girls Anniversary Event
Girls Get Sh*t Done Panelist
"Black in Tech" | Panelist at General Assembly | San Francisco
I'm in purple, in the middle.