Howdy, I’m Brent
A design leader with 25+ years of experience helping organizations turn ambiguity into clear, human-centered digital services. I grow and lead high-performing design teams across time zones, aligning craft, strategy, and delivery.
I champion accessible and equitable experiences, guiding teams with empathy, to design human-centered solutions that are thoughtful, considerate and work for everyone.
What I do
My approach
Informed by decades of real-world problem-solving, my work has always been rooted in user-centered design, long before it became a formal discipline. Whether partnering with enterprise organizations, scrappy startups, or small businesses, I focus on cutting through ambiguity to deliver meaningful results.
What makes my experience different
I specialize in bringing design strategy and systems connectedness out of the abstract and into practical reality, through my neurodivergence in ways that others don’t see.
Areas of expertise
Best Working Conditions
Strengths
Challenges
Feedback loops
Informed by decades of real-world problem-solving, my work has always been rooted in user-centered design, long before it became a formal discipline. Whether partnering with enterprise organizations, scrappy startups, or small businesses, I focus on cutting through ambiguity to deliver meaningful results.
What makes my experience different
I specialize in bringing design strategy and systems connectedness out of the abstract and into practical reality, through my neurodivergence in ways that others don’t see.
- From Zero-to-One product builds to the thoughtful integration of responsible AI.
- Leading and scaling design systems to modernize legacy enterprise services.
Areas of expertise
- Design ops and human capital
- Product strategy and transformation
- Digital service modernization
- Creative excellence
- Scaled agile delivery
- U.S. federal government
Best Working Conditions
- I work best when I can front-load meetings, then focus my time for the rest of the day on delivery.
- Intermittent dedicated time to converge with team members on the project at hand.
- Timeboxed work mode: Let's set up ad-hoc short meetups in a day vs one weekly.
Strengths
- Maintaining optimism
- Did somebody say design systems?
- Egoless design philosophy
- I bring my whole self to work, along with my two chihuahuas
- Breaking solios and sharing knowledge
Challenges
- I’m not an early bird, more of a night owl. ☕️
- Writing is hard— when I’m focused on writing, I need a quiet space, so I’ll pause Slack notifications to tune things out.
- I tend to learn faster by doing rather than reading dense documentation.
Feedback loops
- Direct constructive feedback helps me grow and reflect.
- Clearly stating the type of feedback upfront helps me prepare.
- Egoless craft, I value honesty over kindness.
- Open communication is essential for our collective success.
What I like to do outside of work
I enjoy traveling, drawing, making fancy coffee and spending time with my partner and our two little fur babies, Finnick and Fezzic. Also, Beekeeping, Fly Fishing, book publishing and organizing local meetup events for Spokane UX
- 153Designers mentored
- 14Countries visited and counting
- 7.6 TBPhotos taken
- 8 booksIndi book publisher