About
I build the infrastructure that lets design teams do their best work at scale.
Design leader. 18 years of experience. Currently leading 12 designers across 60+ brands, building AI-powered ops tooling, and creating the systems that let teams scale without burning out.
I'm the kind of leader whose work doesn't always fit neatly into a job title. Strategy. Systems. Hiring and developing talent. Building tooling that protects the team. Whatever the problem requires.
Right now, I lead a team of 12 designers across 60+ brands at D2E Labs. I hired many of those designers. I mentor them. I fight for their growth. A big part of my job is building a team culture where people feel safe to take risks and do ambitious work. The other part is building the systems and processes that make that possible at scale.
I've been building AI-powered tools that solve real problems. Production systems that teams rely on daily. Design Intel, internal workflow automation, Claude-powered analysis tools. If it makes the team faster or gives leadership better visibility, I'm probably building it.
Before All This
I served in the United States Marine Corps. That experience had a big impact on how I lead people, solve problems, and get things done when the stakes matter. You learn fast what real accountability looks like when people are counting on you. No shortcuts. No excuses.
I also spent time in the craft beer industry, which taught me more about brand, community, and authentic storytelling than any design brief ever could.
Military discipline, creative industry hustle, and nearly two decades of growing teams and shipping work. That combination is what makes my approach different. I build things that work, and I build teams that can keep them working after I leave the room.
Career Timeline
United States Marine Corps
Sergeant. Two combat deployments. Instructor trainer. Air traffic controller.
Started in infantry with two combat deployments and earned my instructor trainer certification. Then retrained into air traffic control, where I served as the key controller for a Marine Expeditionary Unit. Earned the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and held a DOD SECRET clearance.
The leadership lessons from that period are still the foundation of everything I do. Take care of your people. Build systems that don't break. Stay calm when things go sideways.
FAA Control Tower Operations
Control Tower Operator Permit holder.
Earned my FAA Control Tower Operator Permit in 2012. Air traffic control is the definition of high-stakes operational work. Zero room for error. Clear communication. Constant situational awareness. Those habits stuck.
Design Career to Present
From individual contributor to leading 12 designers at D2E Labs.
The design career started with doing the work. Hands on. Every pixel. Over time that shifted to building teams, hiring designers, developing junior talent, and creating the operational infrastructure that lets a team of 12 handle 60+ brands without burning out.
Now at D2E Labs (Lunge Marketing / Market Defense), I own design leadership across the organization. That means strategy, team development, tooling, and delivery. I also build AI-powered production tools that are already saving the team 20+ hours per month on manual reporting alone.
Credentials
Beyond design leadership.
- FAA Control Tower Operator Permit (2012)
- Meta Certified Digital Marketing Associate (2024)
- Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
- DOD SECRET Clearance (inactive)
Design Philosophy
I believe in operational systems over heroic effort. If your team needs a hero to ship on time, your process is broken. The best design leaders build infrastructure that lets talented people do their best work without burning out. That is the job. Everything else is vanity.
I build tools that protect people. Capacity planning, workload visibility, delivery tracking. Not because I love spreadsheets, but because when leadership can see the real picture, they stop overloading the team. Good tooling is an act of care for the people doing the work.
AI is an enabler, not a replacement. I use Claude and other AI tools every single day. They make my team faster. They eliminate drudge work. They give us time back for the thinking that actually matters. But they don't replace designers. They make designers more dangerous.
The goal is always the same. Build something that works. Build a team that can sustain it. Then get out of the way and let them run.
What I Work With
Seen On
Interested in talking about design leadership, ops tooling, or how to scale a design team? I'd love to connect.