{insert a greeting more clever than ‘hi!’}

I’m Amber, a Chicago-raised, Michigan-educated New Yorker. 

Magazines were the dream, but the internet and urban rent asked, “Are you sure about that?” So, I spent my teen years consuming digital content (thanks, Tumblr) and teaching myself the basics of front-end development.

In college, I optimized everything I loved about editorials for the digital sphere – accenting my journalism studies with digital photography and design. In time, I turned my magazine dreams into reality as a Digital Editor-in-Chief, all while maintaining my job as a Web Editor for the university itself.

Post grad, I moved to Brooklyn with two suitcases, two months rent, and began freelancing.

One NYFW season, a few web design projects, and several copy editing gigs later, I was recruited for a hybrid role combining my technical and editorial skills. In my two years at Google, I created the production process for a global site serving 21 regional markets and 2+ million monthly active users. Content volume increased 14% in my time at Google and the product continues to function with global reach.

Soon after, I joined ViacomCBS’s digital production team assisting with events including BET’s Black Girls Rock and Hip Hop Awards, and MTV’s Video Music Awards. From there, I transitioned to site and app management as a Digital Producer for VH1 and TV Land.

2020 hit and phew the pandemic was a wildly chaotic, (yet fun?) time for digital television. I executed the launch of several digital-first specials, plus the migration and launch of VH1 on a new web platform.

As COVID shifted the workforce, I hoped on the wave and shifted my career. A decrease in full-time creative departments saw an increased need for creative consulting services. When I was approached for a fully remote role as a Project Manager in this sector, I jumped at it. (And several “workcations” followed). I used my first-hand knowledge as a creator to build efficient systems for cross-functional teams in the food and beverage, financial and healthcare industries. Clients included General Mills, Gatorade and UnitedHealth Group.

It was quite the learning experience, but I missed product world. Eager for a shift – back toward digital cross-collaboration, yet aligned with the current job landscape – I accepted the role of UX Program Manager at Blue Cross Blue Shield’s central headquarters in Chicago. With health at the forefront of everyone’s minds, it was a privilege to take part in improving consumers’ pathways to wellness.

Now, as one does when they’ve lived a corporate life, I’ve traded concrete jungles for fresh coconuts. You can find me somewhere in the sun writing, creating and healing.

Technology has always supported me, but creativity drives me. And hey, I’ve gotta put this bio somewhere. So, please don’t think of this site as a portfolio. Instead, let’s call it an ongoing work-in-progress of, dare I say, “digital art.” Enjoy.