about me

I’m Bess, and I’m a product management and research leader in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

In life, I love analog photography and digital photography with vintage lenses. I use film to capture memories of the people and spaces that I love. I hope to start a documentary project this year. I’m currently exploring topics on elder caretakers (and other invisible family labor) and intentional communities (bike co-ops, makerspaces, farmers markets) organized around service, craft, and place.

Professionally, I have nearly 10 years of experience in start-up and enterprise organizations across e-commerce, mobility, autonomous vehicle, and security SaaS industries. My career has had a particular focus in customer and new product development in emerging technology spaces. In my last role, I led product roadmap development for autonomous mobility services in Japan with partners like Toyota and SoftBank. I established and grew an experience design team + practice in an organization that grew from 70 to 240 in my time there. I love people management and bulding teams for scale in people-first cultures.

I’m always open to new opportunities and connections. I enjoy helping others transition into new careers in tech. Feel free to reach out.