I started by answering people's questions.
My career began in technical writing and UX at Microsoft, where I built help systems for Microsoft Project organized around what users were trying to accomplish versus what the software did. I wrote UI text for Office, ran usability tests with eye-tracking, and earned my User-Centered Design certificate from the University of Washington, with stints in product management and product marketing along the way. Twenty-five years later, search has come around to where I started: AI engines reward the businesses that answer their buyers' questions clearly.
Then I spent two decades building growth engines.
I built content strategy for DocuSign, VISA, and Microsoft as a consultant. At OneLogin, I managed the content marketing program delivering $7M+ in pipeline and a free-trial strategy that lifted revenue 40% in six months. At Seismic, as Senior Director of Web Strategy, I led the redesign and rebranding of 1,500+ pages and a 950-page platform migration completed in seven months, driving organic traffic up 165%. As fractional CMO for BlackPoint IT, I rebuilt an MSP's digital presence: 148% more search impressions, 300% more opportunity volume, 47% lower ad costs.
Now I build the systems that do the work.
I've always been the marketer who builds, from an expert system I designed and specified at Microsoft in 2003 to the AI systems I run today: the digital-presence assessment system I use for every client, the human-in-the-loop tooling behind my engagements, and this website itself. Whidbey Marketing is where all of it comes together: senior strategy, hands-on execution, and systems that let one experienced operator deliver what used to take a team.