my work

If you would like to explore more of my past projects and writing, please get in touch.

Digital.gov: Standing up a content operations infrastructure

When I joined the team as a federal employee, Digital.gov had recently doubled the size of its content team but lacked the content governance necessary to achieve its product goals. I took on leadership of the content workstream, incrementally building mature and sustainable content operations based on team needs and existing rituals.

As a result of this work, our team significantly reduced the response time for content submissions while improving the site’s Digital Certainty Index in SiteImprove. These efforts drove a 40% increase in monthly pageviews over six months in 2024 compared to the same timeframe in 2023.

My role

• Build an editorial content calendar that aligned messaging across web, social media, and email platforms
• Establish intake and evaluation processes to strengthen shared decision-making
• Create rituals and workflows to sync the content workstream with sprint planning and review cycles

Details

Employer: Technology Transformation Services, U.S. General Services Administration
Services: content governance, content operations, content strategy, user research

Overhauling a website to reflect expertise and credibility

The Development Finance Initiative (DFI) is a consultancy that provides specialized real estate expertise to local governments across North Carolina. DFI has been around for nearly 15 years and supported hundreds of community-driven projects, but its website was no longer serving user needs. I worked with a web developer and a graphic designer to create a fresh web presence that reflected DFI’s expertise and breadth of work.

My role

• Conduct user research to understand what DFI’s target audiences needed to know
• Rebuild the site’s information architecture, using insights from card sorting and other research
• Design fresh content based on real user needs and updated style guidance
• Create governance documentation to help the team maintain the site over time

Details

Partner: Development Finance Initiative at UNC-Chapel Hill, Slice Interactive, Leafy Greens Graphic Design
Services: content design, UX research, information architecture, project management

New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources: Leading discovery research

For many government agencies, data has long been viewed as a byproduct of research rather than a core asset. Shifting that mindset requires foundational changes in data management, governance, and operations. The New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources is undergoing a similar evolution, due in part to the 2019 Water Data Act.

I embedded with a cross-functional team of engineers, product managers, and designers for a 10-week discovery on the Bureau’s water data systems. During this time, I interviewed users, observed workflows, and provided coaching. Our team delivered a comprehensive set of future state recommendations to guide the Bureau’s maturing data management practice.

My role

• Conduct interviews with 22 stakeholders in the Bureau, including leadership, engineers, and frontline staff
• Create deliverables including research guides, interview guides, and research readouts, and support service map creation
• Act as a design coach for internal Data Services Team
• Provide content oversight for final report and artifacts

Details

Partner: New Mexico Bureau of Geology and Mineral Resources
Services: user research, content strategy, coaching

Recent writing

Requirements for achieving efficiency, transparency, and innovation through reusable and open source software
This original content introduces users to Federal Source Code Policy and relevant guidance from the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This was created in direct collaboration with agency leadership and OMB. It was produced as part of a pre-existing plan to sunset Code.gov.

Rebuilding CDC.gov
I provided ghostwriting for this blog from the core team behind CDC.gov. I interviewed contributors to the site and wrote this blog to capture key actions and lessons learned.

Making the case for human-centered design: A Department of Justice case study
This was an original submission from the team behind Access DOJ, a human-centered design project at the Department of Justice. I provided editing and rewriting support to clarify the ideas and align with our site style.