A Product Manager specializing in K-12 EdTech.
Looking for my next
opportunity
to make a change.
Resume
With over six years of experience as a product manager in the education technology sector, I have developed and implemented effective strategies to create and grow online products that deliver value to learners, educators, and stakeholders. I am a certified digital product manager, SAFe-certified Product Owner/Product Manager, PMP certified, and a pragmatic marketing level III professional with a master's degree in business administration.
As a Product Manager, I have extensive experience defining product strategy, leading cross-functional teams, and delivering innovative solutions that meet customer needs. I am passionate about using technology to improve people's lives and always seek new opportunities to make a difference.
Product Management
Associate Director, Product Management - New Classrooms
Goal
Enhance functionality and usability of Roadmaps to increase user satisfaction and adoption rates.
Challenges
Roadmaps moved to be New Classroom's primary product due to a shift in strategy, but it still had limited resources dedicated to its development.
My Role
As the company's first designated product manager, I led the organization's product communication, demonstration, and decision-making. I created and maintained the product roadmap and was accountable for the design and delivery of all features and functionality. I collaborated daily with the design and engineering teams, groomed the product backlog, and participated in sprint ceremonies.
Results
Within six months, the team executed two major releases focusing on student and teacher experience, resulting in a 200% growth in user base in the first year.
In our second year, we delivered new themes and experiences to the platform and added an accessibility tool bar to allow for translations and text-to-speech options. (LinkedIn)
Director of Product Management - College Raptor
Goal
Ready student loan refinancing product for go-to-market launch and identify new opportunities in the refinancing markets.
Challenges
Due to the 2020 pandemic, interest rates were at an all-time low but were beginning to increase. The refinancing market also has a lot of big-name players (e.g., SoFi), so we will work to determine where College Raptor/Refi.me can find its niche.
My Role
As the product manager for the current student loan refinancing platform, I was tasked with improving site usability and working with a contractor to update sales and marketing plans in anticipation of student loan repayments to begin again in Fall 2021. Additionally, I researched new market opportunities for refinancing, focusing on mortgage and auto. I created user personas and provided an analysis of potential market shares, revenues, and costs. Along with the CEO, I presented the business case to our Board of Directors and made our recommendation to move into mortgage refinancing. To meet the requirements of a mortgage loan broker, I also obtained NMLS certification as a licensed Mortgage Loan Officer.
Results
With the Board of Directors agreement, the company began implementing a mortgage refinancing product incorporated into the same platform as our student loan refinancing product, with a market opportunity of $2.25B annually.
Project Management
Product Manager II - ACT, Inc.
Goal
Migrate a traditional paper-and-pencil assessment to an online platform.
Challenges
We must determine if computer-based testing is a better market fit for B2B or B2C customers.
My Role
As the product manager for the ACT Online, I developed the three-year product strategy and roadmap focusing on accessibility and online testing. I conducted user testing to determine gaps in product capabilities. I participated in field tests for eight states and over 700 students by observing in-the-classroom administration of the ACT with state clients. I participated in RFPs to help expand the client base and developed and delivered internal and external product presentations and demos.
Results
After reviewing the strategy, technical and development limitations, and test security, we determined that the first rollout of the ACT Online would be with our state and district B2B contracts.
Senior Project Manager - University of Iowa Health Care
Goal
Create a 3-year strategic plan to carry out the tripartite mission of education, research, and patient care.
Challenges
Working to coordinate the leads and key stakeholders across three organizations with varying priorities and obtaining agreement and alignment for the next three years.
My Role
As the project manager, I was responsible for managing the significant scale planning event with vendors, attended by various staff and faculty, to provide input to the strategic plan. I organized a two-day planning event with 75 participants, coordinated stakeholder interviews, and provided status updates to executive leadership, including the Vice President for Medical Affairs and Chief of Staff. After the plan was in place, I coordinated the efforts to create projects aligned with the enterprises' strategic objectives.
Results
The tripartite strategic plan was created and rolled out to the enterprise on time with the new fiscal year, resulting in 15 new strategic projects.
Project Manager - Pearson
Goal
Work with a consortium of states aligned with Common Core Standards (PARCC) to deliver paper and online assessments for Math and English.
Challenges
With most assessment forms being online, timelines were tight to deliver hundreds of forms satisfying grades 3-11 on a new version of the TestNav platform by the next testing window.
My Role
As the project manager, I was responsible for overseeing the activities related to online form production, including creating and managing multiple project schedules and creating processes to assist in managing customer form reviews. I worked closely with internal technical teams to implement the customer's requirements and led user testing of platform functionality and form rendering.
Results
The functional teams successfully delivered 95% of the online and paper forms by the first testing window, with the remaining forms following within two weeks.