Nice to meet you.
Simply put, I believe in a world where every person is able to live a healthy, fulfilled life. While this is achievable, it won't happen by accident - it will only happen through a collective, deliberate effort from many different actors.
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I've spent the last 10+ years living and working all over the world as a strategic designer in a profit-for-purpose consultancy. From the sands of Somalia to the shores of Fiji, I've spent time with low-resource communities to understand their challenges and co-design tailored solutions with and for them.
Through this work, I discovered firsthand the power of joining commercial success and social impact. The virtuous cycle of profit and purpose means that not only is value created for consumers, but that value can also be a multiplier for social good.
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I'm a Harvard-educated designer, published anthropologist and proud TEDx alum. I'm also an Alabama native, self-proclaimed Francophile, and taco enthusiast.
the perspective i bring.
Over the course of my 10+ years in the international development and humanitarian sphere, it became clear to me that the most efficient and effective models for making impact did not reflect the models of the most dominant players across the sector. I observed firsthand the challenges posed by heavily bureaucratic processes and prolonged decision-making that, at times, resulted in inefficiencies and missed opportunities. For that reason, I'm deeply passionate about supporting what I believe is the way of the future - profitable businesses who want to do good, better.
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I’m a highly empathetic, human-centered professional with over a decade of experience in international development and humanitarian work. ​Some of my key areas of expertise include strategic design and innovation for low-resource settings; leadership and coaching; partnerships brokering; and impact measurement, evaluation and learning.
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I hold myself to the highest standards around ethical and responsible practice, working with people on their terms and have a zero-tolerance policy for injustice of any kind.​
snapshots
of my work.
See the slideshow below featuring brief case studies of previous projects.
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CO-DESIGNING INTERVENTIONS
TO IMPROVE WOMEN'S
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
IN SOMALIA/SOMALILAND
Timeframe 2016-2018
Funder UKAID
​Somalia/Somaliland has one of the highest maternal mortality rates globally, and many programs have failed to move the needle.
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From 2016–2018, I led a UKAID-funded project to co-design solutions that could increase the use of reproductive, maternal, child, and nutrition health services. We targeted three main challenges: improving antenatal care attendance, reducing anemia during pregnancy, and increasing deliveries with trained professionals at a local health centre.
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Partnering with Population Services International (PSI), we recruited and trained a local Innovation Team of recent graduates to co-design, prototype, and test interventions rooted in community insight. Together, we developed a mobile reminder system for ANC visits, a “bring-a-friend” campaign to boost health centre use, and a seasonal recipe booklet and market tote to promote iron-rich diets during pregnancy.