EXPERIENCE
I am an operationally-focused senior leader who works with growth-stage (re-)start-ups, putting in place the people, processes, and technology required to take the company to its next level. Below are some experiences I’ve had that contribute to my qualifications and approach working with clients.
FLEISHERS
CRAFT
BUTCHERY
Oct 2014 - Apr 2018
In the beef dry-aging room at the Fleishers Red Hook USDA processing facility (2016)
Founded in 2004, Fleishers Craft Butchery is widely credited with reviving the American neighborhood butcher shop and championing contemporary standards of social and environmental responsibility.
I served as Chief Operating Officer of Fleishers from October 2014 through January 2017, overseeing for 5 full-service butcher shops, 2 restaurants, a whole animal processing facility and commissary kitchen, and an internationally recognized butcher training program. During this time, I increased the team size from 45 to 100 people to support the opening of 2 new retail locations and build-out of a USDA inspected processing facility. I also implemented the company’s first people and culture policies.
In February 2017 I stepped into the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer, responsible for executing a comprehensive restructuring initiative. Over the next 14 months, I led a team in overhauling our supply chain from a fixed to a variable cost structure, transitioning most meat processing from an in-house team to new strategic partners. We streamlined the finance department by outsourcing and automating accounting functions and establishing new internal policies to control costs. And, we formalized training and retention strategies for all employees, including launching a new hire orientation, on-the-job mentoring, standardized roles and responsibilities, and continuing education.
SAUGATUCK
CRAFT
BUTCHERY
Oct 2012 - Sep 2013
Carrying a beef round into the walk-in refrigerator at Saugatuck Craft Butchery in Westport, CT (2013)
Saugatuck Craft Butchery was the first sustainable butcher shop in Connecticut, known for high-quality local products and outstanding customer service. SCB merged with Fleishers in September 2014.
I came to SCB in 2012 as an apprentice, drawn to explore whole animal butchery after a personal crisis brought on by reading Jonathan Safran Foer’s book, Eating Animals. At SCB, I first and foremost learned the art of breaking down beef, pork, lamb, and chicken into retail-ready cuts; I provided good old-fashioned customer service, and taught butchery classes. After a few months I was ready to admit that I had fallen in love with the place, and took on more responsibility first as the Marketing Manager and then as the shop’s General Manager. I became a partner in the business in mid-2013, as we expanded our location to include a full-service restaurant dedicated to improving our whole-animal utilization.
In early 2014, we began talks with Fleishers Pasture-Raised Meats to combine the two companies together, and the merger was completed in October of that year, forming the rebranded Fleishers Craft Butchery.
MAYA MOUNTAIN CACAO
Nov 2011 - Jun 2012
Raw cocoa beans drying in the sun at Maya Mountain Cacao’s production facility in Punta Gorda, Belize (2012)
Maya Mountain Cacao is a direct trade cacao sourcing organization that connects smallholder farmers with ultra-premium artisan chocolate producers. MMC is now part of the Uncommon Cacao Source & Trade Group, and was originally named Moho River Cacao.
I worked with MMC during their second growing season, serving as the Production and Transparency Manager in the jungles of Punta Gorda, Belize. In this role I managed the fermentation, drying, and bagging of raw cacao beans through 400% growth in volume and staff. I established processes to ensure consistently high quality, and trained local staff to operate the facility independently. In addition to overseeing these operations, I assisted MMC’s Managing Director with building support for the company’s business model among rural farmers, and executing the annual organic certification process.
I also created the company’s first annual impact report to quantify the social, economic, and environmental impacts of MMC on local communities.
Endeca
Aug 2008 - Apr 2011
Endeca was a pioneering B2B e-commerce and analytics software company acquired by Oracle in December 2011 for $1.1B.
I joined Endeca first in a technical pre-sales capacity, building proof-of-concept applications to support the sales team in winning strategic accounts. I also developed product demonstrations and prototypes to generate early adopter sales in new markets.
In 2009, I moved into a product management role, overseeing the 3 product lines and 5 partner integrations that comprised the E-Commerce and Media Solutions group and delivered 60% of annual company revenue. Using cross-functional agile development processes, we built ground-breaking user experiences that seamlessly integrated search & browse functionality with merchandising and recommendations.
In 2010, Endeca pivoted to invest significantly more in the business intelligence space, and I led the development of the company’s flagship analytics dashboard product, Latitude Studio (now Oracle Endeca Information Discovery), from concept to adoption by 15 enterprise customers.
Cornell University
Aug 2003 - May 2007
I entered Cornell as a Tanner Dean’s Scholar, and in an attempt to create my own Cognitive Science program, dual-majored in Information Science (concentrating in Human-Computer Interaction) and Biology (concentrating in Neurobiology).
I was fascinated with how people absorb and process information, which led me to work as a research assistant for Michael J. Spivey and the Interaction Design Lab, using eye tracking technology to study language comprehension and internet search behaviors, respectively. In the summer of 2011, I designed and implemented change blindness experiments at MIT’s Computational Visual Cognition Lab under principal investigator Aude Oliva. For multiple semesters I was a teaching assistant for web design courses taught by Phoebe Sengers and Graeme Bailey.
As a member of the second graduating class of Information Science majors, I had the opportunity to actively shape the fledgling curriculum through a number of avenues, including:
President and Founding Member, Information Science Student Association
Founding Advisory Board Member, Women Across Computing at Cornell (now WICC)
Undergraduate Student Representative, Information Science Curriculum Committee
ASHTANGA YOGA & MEDITATION
The Ashtanga Yoga Morjim shala in Goa, India (2018)
In 2010, I completed a 10-day silent Vipasanna (mindfulness) meditation course at Dhamma Dharā in Shelburne, MA, and have kept a meditation practice ever since. In 2019, I will be taking my first course toward becoming a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Teacher through UMass Medical School.
After years of dabbling in various forms of yoga, I began a dedicated Ashtanga practice in 2011. It has been an honor to learn from many incredible teachers, including George Whiteside, Valerie Schneiderman, David Keil, Stan Woodman, Sharmila Desai, and Rich Ray. I completed a RYT 200 hour training in 2018.
I credit meditation and yoga with teaching me the tools of self-awareness, discipline, and equanimity that eventually led me to leave my software career to pursue a path more aligned with my values. Both traditions strongly influence my philosophy of life and work.