From leading global projects at companies such as Garmin, to leading teams of amazing designers at companies like Target & Dropbox, I continue to drive innovation, collaboration, user satisfaction & business impact.
I started my career in Minneapolis and then moved down to Kansas City in 2010 where I live now with my family. I’m known for leading with empathy, building great team culture, elevating those around me, bringing a sense of calm & finding simplicity on the far side of complexity.
I don't necessarily have executive ambitions as I really enjoy being close to the work & directly helping designers grow. A career goal of mine is to one day work for someone I once managed. Every designer has different career goals & my aim is to help get them there while they're under my care.
Not that I don't want to continue to grow & evolve my career, but reporting to someone who reached their goals, knowing I had played a part in their journey, would be an amazing way to see my efforts come to life.
"Ben is a consistent advocate for the customer and his team. His team appreciated his calm demeanor, transparency & ability to connect, creating a healthy space for communication, which helped them deliver strong revenue in the midst of multiple changes & challenges. He stepped up to support another design team while another manager was out on parental leave, working with his partners to ensure both teams delivered strong results. He is very self-aware, quick to take in feedback & act on it."
"Ben is an incredibly thoughtful and talented UX leader. He takes time to partner with others in the organization, gather data that can point to problems that need to be solved, understand the customer’s perspective, and distill all of this into a workable solution. He also looks at ways he can evolve processes within an organization to be more effective. He doesn't just accept the status quo. If you have the chance, hire Ben. You won't regret it! (Trust me, I've tried!!!)"
"An inspiring design leader with an amazing talent of bringing teams together to efficiently drive towards effectively delivering the most optimal digital experiences for his clients. Ben has been a driving force of implementing agile methodology in product and design environments, and has been an instrumental part of defining a future of do-it-yourself capability for H&R Block."
"Ben is that rare kind of leader: a truly great people manager and an incredibly competent and proven product driver. Working with Ben is fulfilling because he gives you the space to grow, make mistakes, ask hard questions — and somehow also the first to celebrate your journey. As my lead, he always made me feel empowered, protected and excited about the work ahead. Ben empowered me to be my best — always putting me, the user, and the team ahead of himself."
"I was fortunate to have worked under Ben at Bed Bath & Beyond. Ben is an amazing visionary, strategist and an empathetic design leader. He is great at supporting his team to create innovative, smart customer focused products as well as in their career goals. He has a knack for navigating stakeholder relationships. His easy going ways, passion for great design and understanding nature would make Ben an asset to any team."
"I've always admired Ben's leadership skills and how he looks out for his team. I could always rely on him for guidance navigating tricky situations. He's genuine & supportive, but also continually pushed me to get better at my craft. He really invested into our team as well, giving us tools & team building rituals to help built trust & stay connected."
"Ben was a major advocate for me & he'd always have my back when I needed help influencing my partners & other leaders. He took the time to get to know me as an individual, what I wanted out of my career & gave me the feedback, resources & support I needed to grow. I was also able to watch him learn & grow because of his transparency & openness to feedback."
"Ben brings years of UX experience to his product design. He looks at products through a consumer lens and strategizes how to enhance the user flow and deliver the best experience through design thinking. His leadership is based on building up those around him, allowing them to ask questions and explore by pushing limits, as well as addressing them with empathy and creating a space of trust."
