Hello, I’m Laurel. I’m {{ phrase }}.

Howdy!

I’m a hands-on senior design leader with 20+ years spanning UX, product design, strategy, research, and brand/marketing creative. I’m a strategic big-picture thinker who has never lost my love for the craft — I’m just as comfortable shaping the vision as I am rolling up my sleeves to execute, from research and design through testing and launch.

I’m especially skilled at bringing order to ambiguity—clarifying priorities, aligning teams, and turning messy problems into thoughtful solutions that drive meaningful business results.

I’m driven by an insatiable curiosity and a deep empathy for people and the world around me. I value UX that’s grounded, intentional, and genuinely useful to the people it serves. For me, the best work happens when trust is high, collaboration is real, and design is treated as a strategic partner, not a service function.

That same curiosity has led me to all kinds of adventures. I grew up in the Appalachian Mountains of East Tennessee (Dolly Parton went to my high school!) and I’ve since lived and worked in some amazing places like Washington D.C., New York City, Nashville, and New Delhi, India. For the last 12 years I’ve been proud to call Chicago home and I currently live on the city’s beautiful north side with my husband and our adorable pup, Kevin.

I’m a foodie at heart — I love good food almost as much as I love making it. The kitchen is where you’ll find me most evenings after work. My favorite past-times are travel and live music (and traveling to see live music.) I’ll jump at any excuse to wear a costume or dress up for a theme party. I was raised on SEC football (go Vols!) and I’m a proud member of the Krewe of Dolly, where we raise money for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library and support childhood literacy in my favorite city on earth: New Orleans!

I’m currently open to freelance, contract, and full-time work — product design, brand and marketing creative, or a hybrid of both. If you need someone who can own research, strategy, UX, visual design, and copy without a handoff between specialists, let’s talk.