I graduated from Cornell in 2007, with a dual degree in Near Eastern Studies and Government. During my time at Cornell, I loved studying the history and dynamics that shaped the world around me. This included my actual studies, like learning about the Middle East and Modern American Politics as well as my extracurricular activities, like serving on Student Assembly. It also included my time at Cornell in Washington, where I interned for then Senator Joe Biden.
After graduation, I joined Accenture as a Consultant. I picked consulting because I wanted to gain hands-on experience in the “real world” in a way that let me explore various industries and fields. I worked across a wide array of projects, implementing technology, launching organizational transformations, and even launching a non-profit organization. I also got to live abroad in Geneva, Switzerland. During this time, I learned what I was good at, what brought me joy, how to communicate, how to think, how to manage my time, and so much more.
Half a decade in, I pivoted into the product management space. While the ability to move around and keep learning was a great foundation, I was ready to “own” an area end to end. I joined Amazon in Seattle and fell in love with product management. It gave me the opportunity to not only drive strategy, but also implement it. It taught me how to ask questions, how to think big, how to understand data, how to marry strategy with feasibility, how to set a vision and inspire others to follow along.
I currently am Senior Director, Product at Roku where I’m responsible for the core experience across the Roku platform and The Roku Channel. I am responsible for shipping features to over 70M customers. In this capacity, it’s my job to understand customer needs, understand business opportunities, set a vision and deliver against it. It can be an exhausting job, but it’s also invigorating. I spend my day figuring out what to build and then spend my nights and weekends using my own products, hearing from friends what they love and where there’s opportunity.
I’ve been with my husband Jason for 10 years and together, we have 2 delightful little girls, Tessa (4) and Sophia (3). We also have 2 labradoodles, Eli and Emmett. While not working, I love not only being a Mom but also an advocate for women and non-technical majors to get into technology. Technology is an exciting place to be and I want to inspire others that they can work in the space too!
I think fondly about my time at Cornell, especially my time studying Near Eastern Studies.
