Quick Facts

Work History (for the past 10 years)

Product Designer (Freelance), Tandem • Remote Hybrid • Lubbock, TX
Jul 2021 - Current

Lead Product Designer (Freelance), DEPT® • Remote
Jul 2021 - Sep 2024

UI/UX & Product Designer, Tandem • Lubbock, TX
Apr 2019 - Jul 2021

UI/UX & Product Designer • Senior Multimedia Designer, Pictoric • Austin, TX
May 2017 - Apr 2019

Visual Designer • Art Director, GSD&M • Austin, TX
Mar 2014 - May 2017

Favorite Tools

Designing, Evolving, Loving the Process

Eighteen years in design and still going strong—what a lucky son-of-a-gun! My career has been rolling for nearly two decades, and I’m still just as hooked as when I first started. Every project brings a new challenge, a fresh problem to solve, and a chance to stretch my brain in ways I never expected. Whether it’s designing a killer product feature or fine-tuning an animation for social media, I love embracing the creative process. And the best part? The incredible people I’ve met along the way, turning colleagues into lifelong friends.

One of my daughters often asks me, “Do you love what you do?” My answer is always an unapologetic, no-hesitation “yes.” I’ve had the privilege of working on three 0-to-1 products—Beyond4 (a CRM for restaurants), Tandem’s Incident Management, and DEPT’s Qontrol ads platform. Being the sole contributor or lead product designer for these projects has been one of the most rewarding aspects of my career. There’s just something about taking an idea from scratch and turning it into something real.

From Cavalry Scout to Creative Problem Solver

Once upon a time, before UX grids and color palettes, I was in the Texas Army National Guard, serving as a 19D Cavalry Scout. Talk about a career pivot.

It was an intense, demanding, and unforgettable experience. OSUT training pushed me further than I ever thought possible—physically, mentally, and emotionally. I learned discipline, integrity, and resilience. Most importantly, I learned how to navigate uncertainty and the value of being part of a team. These lessons didn’t just stay in the military; they carried over into every aspect of my career.

Funny enough, reconnaissance has a lot in common with product design. Success isn’t about being loud and obvious—it’s about discovery. It’s about using research to uncover insights while staying almost invisible. The best-designed products do the same; they don’t scream for attention. They just work, seamlessly guiding the user toward their goals without distraction.

Curious About Ideas

Where do ideas even come from? How do random thoughts connect to form stories, solutions, and innovations? I don’t have all the answers (yet), but I do know that my brain thrives on ideation. I’ve taken the Forrester assessment twice, and both times, ideation ranked as my number one trait.

One of my favorite “aha!” moments came while working on a peer analysis feature for a CRM. I wanted users to see how their campaigns performed compared to similar businesses. With multiple campaign types—email, SMS, direct mail, unique URLs—it needed to be simple yet insightful. I ended up designing not just the UI but also the algorithm that distilled all that complexity into one clear, comparable number over time. That was one of those moments when everything just clicked.

Lately, I’ve been diving into About Face: The Essentials of Interaction Design, a book from the early 2000s. Reading it cover to cover makes me wish I had started in product design even earlier—seeing how product development was shaped back then is fascinating. If I could study one thing in depth, it would be the neuroscience behind creativity. How does the brain take seemingly unrelated ideas and turn them into something new? That’s the kind of thing that keeps me up at night.

The Donut Shop Chronicles

Oh yeah, I owned a donut shop once. And it was one of the most insane, rewarding, and caffeine-fueled experiences of my life.

About five years into my design career, my wife and I decided to take a wild turn. She had been running a bakery outside of Austin, and I was working at an ad/tech agency. Some life events, mixed with our entrepreneurial spirit, led us to Redmond, WA, where we found the perfect little donut shop right down the road from Microsoft’s campus.

Ever wondered what it’s like to wake up at 10:00 PM, start work at 11:00 PM, and make donuts until sunrise? It’s a grind—literally. But it was also deeply satisfying. Seeing customers line up out the door, chatting over espresso and fresh pastries, was incredible.

Our maple bars were the crowd favorite—people would buy them by the dozen. Personally, I loved the maple old fashioned, but I also took pride in my espresso-making skills. I even got pretty good at latte art and briefly considered becoming a barista after we sold the shop. Some of my favorite moments were on Sunday mornings when we were closed. My wife and I would fire up the espresso machine just for ourselves, making triple grande mochas and enjoying the quiet.

What I miss most? The people. We had such amazing customers, and many became close friends. Even 12 years later, I still get calls from one of them—he was always pitching ideas for another food venture and even offered to back us financially. That sense of community was truly special.

So why aren’t we still making donuts? We decided to start a family, and let’s just say donut shop hours and parenting don’t exactly mix. Funny enough, the universe had its own timing—just 30 minutes after getting our first positive pregnancy test, we got a cold call from a couple looking to buy a donut shop. The rest is history.

The Common Thread? Problem-Solving

Whether it’s in the military, design, or making the perfect espresso, one thing has remained constant: I love solving problems. I love creating things that matter. And I love working with great people along the way.

Life has taken me down some unexpected roads, but that’s the best part. Who knows what’s next? Whatever it is, I’m ready for the adventure.

Cheers to the journey!