“How do we unleash the full potential of people to address humanity’s most pressing challenges?”
This question drives everything I do. But I came to it through an unconventional path.
The Journey: From Code to Culture
Most HR leaders come from HR. I came from the command line.
Early in my career, I became a senior software engineer at the Wikimedia Foundation (the nonprofit behind Wikipedia), building technology for free knowledge. I led development of Wikipedia’s first mobile web interface and maintained fundraising infrastructure processing millions in donations.
But I kept hitting the same wall: the hardest problems were rarely technical. They were human.
Why did some teams ship great software while others with equal technical talent struggled? Why did promising initiatives fail not because of bad code, but because of bad communication? Why did organizational dysfunction create more technical debt than actual technical decisions?
These questions wouldn’t leave me alone.
The Pivot: Engineer → Agile Coach → HR Leader
So I made a pivot. I started coaching engineering teams on agile practices. Not just the mechanics of sprints and standups, but the human dynamics of collaboration, trust, and psychological safety.
It worked. Teams I coached improved measurably. So I scaled the approach by building and leading a team of agile coaches across the organization.
But coaching individual teams wasn’t enough. I became fascinated with organizational culture, the invisible infrastructure that either enables or disables great work. I realized culture is shaped by the same kind of systems I used to build in code: values (APIs), leadership (architecture), incentive structures (algorithms), processes (frameworks).
I dove headfirst into organizational development. I partnered with executives to design talent strategies that actually aligned with business strategy. I architected performance management systems from first principles. I built scalable leadership development infrastructure. I designed data systems that gave leaders real-time visibility into organizational health.
It felt like coming home. Except instead of building software systems, I was building human systems at scale.
The Track Record: 13 Years at Wikipedia
Most of my career unfolded at the Wikimedia Foundation, where I spent 13 years growing from Software Engineer to Director of Global People Experience.
Along the way, I:
- Led talent management, learning & development, and HRBP teams supporting 800 staff across 50+ countries
- Completely overhauled the performance management system (goal-setting, evaluations, compensation philosophy, job leveling, leadership frameworks). Going from bureaucratic compliance exercise to genuine development tool
- Architected leadership development ecosystem from scratch, supporting 150+ leaders across all levels
- Co-led the entire People & Culture function through an 18-month C-level vacancy, maintaining stability while driving strategic initiatives
- Codified remote-first practices for distributed teams that became the organizational playbook
The work required both sides of my background: engineering systems thinking to architect scalable infrastructure, and human-centered design to make those systems actually serve people.
What Makes Me Different
Here’s what I bring that traditional HR candidates don’t:
1. Product Thinking Applied to HR
I architect systems. I think in terms of user needs, data flows, feedback loops, and scalability. When I designed ActBlue’s Talent Intelligence System, I approached it like a product: Who are the users? What decisions do they need to make? What data tells the real story? How do we iterate based on feedback?
2. Technical Credibility
I speak engineering’s language fluently because I lived in that world for years. I understand technical debt, sprint planning, CI/CD pipelines, and why engineers roll their eyes at certain HR initiatives. When Product and Engineering executives call me a “game-changing partner,” it’s because I understand their constraints, speak their language, and translate business strategy into terms that resonate with technical teams.
3. Data-Driven Decision Making
HR shouldn’t be the department that operates on vibes. I build dashboards, analyze trends, run A/B tests on interventions, and measure outcomes. I designed team effectiveness assessments grounded in organizational psychology research. I thrive with data, leveraging it to inform tactical and strategic decision making, and translating it into actionable insights that change how leaders lead.
4. Systems Thinking at Scale
My engineering background taught me to think in systems: identify leverage points, map dependencies, anticipate second-order effects, design for failure modes. I apply that same thinking to organizational challenges. Performance management isn’t just an HR process. It’s a feedback system. Leadership development isn’t just training. It’s an ecosystem.
Current & Next
I’m currently People Business Partner at ActBlue, the political tech nonprofit powering Democratic campaigns and progressive causes. I’m also a certified executive coach (ICF Associate Certified Coach) and maintain a coaching practice through Insight Cascades.
But I love seeing the long-tail impact of my work, and I’m actively seeking my next full-time role: strategic senior HRBP or HR management position at a mission-driven tech company where unconventional backgrounds are seen assets, not liabilities.
Credentials
- SHRM-SCP (Senior Certified Professional)
- ICF ACC (Associate Certified Coach, International Coach Federation)
- Presence-Based Coaching Certificate
Outside of Work
When I’m not thinking about organizational systems, you’ll find me:
- In the mountains: Skiing, hiking, backpacking, fly fishing (Central Oregon is home)
- On a meditation cushion: Mindfulness practice informs everything I do
- In the kitchen: Cooking is my creative outlet
- Binging sci-fi: Currently rewatching The Expanse
Let’s Connect
If you’re hiring for strategic HR leadership and value unconventional paths, let’s talk. If you’re an executive looking for coaching, I’d love to hear about your challenges. If you just want to swap stories about the intersection of technology and humanity, I’m always up for that conversation.