Hey, I’m Kelsey.
I’m a designer & product leader with more than a decade of experience designing and leading teams. I live and work in DC, though I spent most of my career in NYC working in tech and media (and doing a lot of karaoke).
I’ve worked across a wide range of teams and products, but the common thread has been making sense of messy problems and creating space for people to do their best work. Today, I do that in a fractional capacity as Head of Design with an early-stage team.
What I do
My work lands somewhere between product vision and hands-on design. I like being close to the actual work while shaping the decisions that guide it. I help teams make sense of ambiguity, get the scope right, and get aligned on what we’re trying to achieve. Then I get to work.
How I work
People first.
I create environments where people feel supported and able to do good work, all while still having the autonomy to make decisions. Kindness over everything.
Transparency always.
I share early and often — ideas, drafts, context. It builds trust, and is the only way to make the work better.
Impact > Output.
I point my time at the work that has real impact. Shipping is exciting, but it doesn’t matter if we end up shipping things no one needs.
Previously
Before moving into fractional work, I spent five years at BuzzFeed leading Product Design & UX Research. I grew the team from 7 to 19, hired the org’s first researcher, and helped integrate the HuffPost design team after the acquisition in 2020. I oversaw design across BuzzFeed, Tasty, and HuffPost, along with internal tools and new product initiatives.
Before BuzzFeed, I spent several years at Vox Media working on major brand launches and redesigns, including Racked (RIP) and Eater. I also led a range of storytelling and editorial projects across the company.