Hey, I’m Monica

I help product design, user experience, and design system teams create impactful experiences that delight users and boost the bottom line. With a counseling background, I am uniquely skilled at building cross-team relationships, reducing friction, and implementing inclusive processes that spark innovative ideas and foster driven teams. I have a knack for spotting gaps and crafting smart, scalable solutions—then making the case to leadership for buy-in and budget to turn those ideas to life.

Beliefs and Skills

Product/UX Design Management

  • My expertise in facilitating design thinking workshops, fosters environments where diverse perspectives coalesce for faster, stronger solutions.

  • Immediately centering the user with early rapid exploration with users accelerates good design then of course, continue with relentless innovation.

  • I have an acute understanding of team dynamics, fostering honest conversations, and deep support for growth due to my counseling background.

Design System Management

  • A Design System (DS) is a scalable long-term product that should evolve with data, technology, and brand needs and enhance partner team’s UX, code quality, and speed to market.

  • Relationships are the core of a DS’s success. If partners feel excited and valued we get deep adoption, maximizing ROI. Fast and transparent intake enables teams to feel part of the DS and become advocates.

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    Accessibility Expertise

    within both the design and development lifecycles, including leading organization-wide trainings on respective roles in building accessible experiences.

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    Previous Front-end Coding

    makes me and the teams I lead adept at collaborating with development teams and taking a holistic project lifecycle approach.

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    Proven ROI Driver

    with receipts. During my tenure at my previous employer, I led initiatives that resulted in annual savings of over $21 million in capacity costs.

Case Studies

If you don’t have the password for these stories send me a request and introduce yourself.

Selling Modular Components

Saved $42,000 a year and improved UX by partnering w Product Teams to upgrade flat HTML to using DS components.

View Project

Accessibility for Diverse Hiring

Empowering product teams for call center apps to build for accessibility including screen-readers, keyboard navigation, color blindness and more.

View Project

Intake Improvement

Product teams were creating one-off solutions instead of using the design system. In a year we increased engagement and intake.

View Project

What People are Saying

"Getting to work with them on a project and then seeing them lead, I was able to learn so much through their example -- which made me a better advocate for the users and taught me how to handle ambiguity with grace."

Mia Huynh, Senior Product Designer/Co-worker

"I wholeheartedly recommend Monica for any role that requires a dedicated, results-driven, and inclusive leader. Their passion for art and deep focus undoubtedly contribute to their success and outcomes for the company."

Caro Von Esch, UX Strategist/Direct Manager

"One of the most impactful leaders I’ve had the chance to work with. The leadership of the Frontline Design System team was nothing short of transformative, both for the system itself and for everyone they managed.."

Kevin Arbelaez, Web Developer/Direct Report

Dig Into Details

Download a full resume to learn more about my experience and the impacts I have made.

Chit Chat Facts

  • I left Banff to go up and down a lot of mountain passes then through stunning dessert to finally arrive in Cuba….. (muffled cough) New Mexico.

  • Had a pre-teen vision of a black, white, and red room—complete with black carpet. Dad wouldn’t buy it but said he would install it if I did thinking I would never be that determined. Hello Arby’s paycheck. Dad had regrets.

  • I worked with Adolescents from 12 to 19 years old in an inpatient rehab facility. Rest assured if I can smoothly negotiate dynamics between teenagers in recovery, dynamics in corporate teams are not a problem.

  • I spent a month in Tanzania including hiking up Kilimanjaro. When I reached the summit it was breathtaking but REALLY REALLY cold!