About Matt

I'm an anthropologist, a strategist, a user experience designer, and a technologist. I have a broad toolkit for understanding people, making sense of complex situations, and translating insights into actions. I also have a unique background that has prepared me to learn quickly in any setting and build rapport with anyone. In short, I’m an expert at putting customers first when it comes to research, design, and marketing.

More About Matt

  • My M.S. is in applied anthropology with a focus on business anthropology. I loved my course of study because we did real projects for real clients in almost every class.
  • I've been a researcher, strategist, and designer in-house and at an agency. At Cisco, I helped guide the web and mobile experiences for support and tools. At Astadia, I led work on projects big and small for B2B and B2C clients.
  • I've managed teams for years. As a Lead Content Engineer at Cisco, I kept a multinational documentation team humming. As Strategy Director at Astadia, I led the 10-member Strategy team.
  • I'm well trained and experienced in a variety of research methods. Interviews, focus groups, surveys, usability testing, and workshops are all in my wheelhouse. Ethnographic approaches, like getting out in the field with everyday folks and doing participant-observation, are my favorite.
  • For a while, I was the engineer's engineer: I wrote the instructions that Cisco customers used to get their devices up and running and keep them that way. During that time, I also earned my Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert certification (CCIE #19520), arguably the most prestigious and difficult of technology certifications.
  • My B.A. from a small liberal arts college is in rhetoric. Critical thinking and writing were the keys to that program, whether I was investigating the hero's quest in "The Matrix" or analyzing advertisements from the Department of Defense.
  • I recently took up microelectronics as a hobby. It's been fun to break out the soldering iron and mess around with the Arduino and other components.
  • I finally won my fantasy football league in 2014-15. I credit it to a savvy pickup of Odell Beckham, Jr., but it was generally a great season.