About me

Curious by nature. Analytical by design. Creative by choice.

Spirals in seashells. Fractals in ferns. Math has fascinated me since childhood, and it still does. Math is everywhere!

As a teenager, I wanted to become an orthopedic surgeon. That changed after dissecting my first rat. The blood and fat grossed me out, so I decided working with computers and other inanimate objects was a much better career choice.

I considered actuarial science during my undergraduate studies, but computer science won. As a graduate student at West Virginia University, I found myself equally drawn to statistics and computer science. I also discovered how much I enjoyed teaching. I tutored statistics and helped students move from F's and D's to passing grades, sometimes surprising their professors in the process. I loved those lightbulb moments when something finally clicked.

After graduate school, I worked on NASA-funded educational outreach projects while teaching computer science as a university lecturer. I later joined the Space Telescope Science Institute, NASA's science operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope, where our education outreach team received a NASA Group Achievement Award.

My interest in requirements specifications eventually led me to business analysis and then product ownership. I enjoyed defining what needed to be built, but seeing those requirements become products that customers actually used was even more rewarding. My technical background also allowed me to challenge assumptions, spot potential risks and influence engineering decisions about architecture, infrastructure and performance.

In June 2021, I founded CHAOS Disruption, LLC (Controlling Hindrances Affecting Organizational Success), where I provide consulting, training and statistical data analysis services.

My learning laboratory transcends environments

I never stop teaching—the classroom simply changes.

Sometimes it's coaching a product team to think about security, accessibility and serviceability. Other times, it's helping customers understand a feature or explaining complex regulatory requirements alongside a sales team.

Teaching students mathematical and statistical concepts, then hearing them speak the beautiful language of math, is sheer joy! Watching those same students walk across the stage at graduation adds another thread to the tapestry of my life.

I find teachable moments in nature and in life's less-than-perfect situations, helping my mentees gain tools they can use to navigate life's challenges.

The creative side of me

I'm always looking for creative ways to improve communication and shared understanding. I enjoy using humor to make complex or otherwise dry topics more engaging and memorable. Sometimes that means writing a song.

I've written a GDPR song to the Spice Girls' Wannabe ("Tell me what you want…"), a Form I-9 reverification song inspired by Immigrants (We Get the Job Done) from The Hamilton Mixtape, and even a 21st-century Christmas play for a youth ministry.

When one of my teams chose the name Tech Titans, I wrote a team-building song set to the Teen Titans theme. Every team deserves a theme song.

I also partnered with user experience designers to create "Christmas All Year" for a Talent Development team. Each month, we unwrapped a new "gift" of information, making knowledge-sharing sessions a little more fun.

And yes, I still think math is everywhere!

Product work → Teaching →