Leadership Team
In March of 2021, I invited user researchers to join me in evolving our field, focusing not just on how to do research, but how to ensure our work drives results. Over 400 people have joined this mission. At the core are the 8 members of the Leadership Team (listed below in alphabetical order by first name).
Chris Geison, Founder
Chris has been a user researcher at Airtable, Workday, and AnswerLab. He lives in San Francisco with his wife, their 4-year-old daughter, and an imaginary panther named Winston. He used to have hobbies, now he has a toddler.
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Ana Marija Strmljan
Ana is is a UX designer and manager based in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Professionally she cares about research being strategic as opposed to doing it for the sake of it. Personally she is a lover of culture, travel, cooking, playing tennis, and all living beings (but mostly cats).
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April Karnes
April is a Senior Director of Research & Experience Strategy at Sam's Club, where she's a tireless advocate for the customer, a relentless simplifier of interfaces, and a creative enabler of business objectives. Outside of work, she's a traveler, a maker, a bookworm, and a rabid Anglophone. April lives in San Francisco.
Cindy Lu, Ph.D, CHFP
Cindy is a Vice President at Pershing, a BNY Mellon company, based in New Jersey. She leads user research and research operations to support product development for financial institutions, advisors and investors. Outside of work, she is passionate about Tai Chi, a traditional Chinese exercise, and has been practicing it for 20+ years.
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Mackenzie Guinon
Mackenzie is a Senior UX Researcher who most recently was at Handshake but is about to start a new adventure (more to come soon). There she will focus on building a research practice integral to business strategy and has a goal to launch an apprenticeship program. She mentors career changers, plays volleyball, does crosswords, and writes and illustrates children’s books with her adventure partner on a little hill near Berkeley, California.
Natalia Em
Natalia is an Experience Researcher at Mastercard. She works with product development teams to inform product evolution and optimization. She is also working on establishing a research practice within the Data & Service arm of Mastercard. Natalia lives in Reno, NV and loves to play boardgames, go on bike rides, and explore the outdoors with her husband and two children.
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Richa Prajapati
Richa Prajapati is a UX Researcher at Square and has previously worked at Asana, DoorDash, Salesforce, and Deloitte (as a technology consultant).
Richa lives in Oakland with her husband and an adorable little labradoodle called Toto. She has always been a curious person and enjoys solving puzzles. In her free time, Richa loves learning random facts, exploring different cuisines and cultures, and (of course) solving puzzles!
Sean Fitzell
Sean is currently a User Research Manager at Compass, where he leads research on the home-buying process for realtors and their clients and drives understanding of agent archetypes and team segments. Sean lives in Ulster County, New York (the Catskills) with his wife and what the shelter assured them was a dog. In his free time he hikes, bikes, and prolifically listens to music.
Stephanie Haley
Stephanie is currently a Senior UX Researcher at Bosch North America. She is passionate about research that supports inclusive and equitable experiences, in industries ranging from education to mobility. She lives in Ann Arbor, MI, and loves travel, hiking, reading (especially fantasy, sci-fi, and mysteries), media studies, and spending time with her family.