I still remember the moment when I decided that I wanted to spend my career building brands. We were helping a bank improve its overall customer experience by creatively solving customer pain-points and striving to delight them. We hit a home run, and my passion for being customer obsessed was born.
I joined Stride as a founding member in 2019. I enjoy working closely with the investment and portfolio company management teams to identify and develop growth levers. Over the last 20+ years, I have gained hands-on experience across a wide range of customers, brands and companies – specifically in brand and performance marketing, brand strategy, eCommerce development, new product innovation, consumer insights, digital product features, customer service and omni-channel management. Before Stride, I was an Operating Partner at Castanea with a similar focus.
Prior to private equity, I was the CMO at two mission-driven brands, Freshly and Melissa & Doug. I also led eCommerce as an SVP at Ralph Lauren and before that, at Quidsi, parent company of Diapers.com, Wag.com, and Soap.com after they were acquired by Amazon. I spent over a decade in Brand Management focusing on food (Post Cereal, Balance Bar, Country Crock), ice cream (Klondike, Popsicle, Good Humor), and beverages (Crystal Light, Kool-Aid) at Kraft and then at Unilever.
I have had the pleasure of working on some amazing brands that span many different categories and consumer segments – big vs. small, classic vs. new, kids vs. parents vs. health enthusiasts – and each one taught me something different that I could take with me on my next adventure. The talented, creative, innovative, and diverse group of people who I have gotten to work with along the way have inspired me. I truly enjoy keeping in touch with them as they continue to build some of the world’s best brands and services.
I spent most of my childhood in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I received a BS in Industrial Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Harvard Business School. I live outside of New York City with my husband and two sons and continue to be a devoted Michigan Wolverine fan.