about

Sean is the UX Lead at AGI Suretrack, a Lenexa-based technology platform for Agriculture. He is a native New Yorker and received his BFA from The Cooper Union. After more than a decade as an Art Director, Sean turned his sights to UX and Product Design, attending UX Bootcamp at General Assembly in 2019. Sean has called Kansas City home since 2012 and loves the creative community here. In his free time, Sean enjoys DJing and spending time with his daughters.

Alyssa is a Digital and Creative Account Manager for TEKsystems (think of her as a digital dot connector!) Alyssa is responsible for partnering with digital technology teams throughout KC and helping them drive innovation, solve problems, and roadmap for the future! She thrives at the intersection of technology, design, and marketing and is lucky enough to use her gift of gab for a living. Alyssa is a graduate of Kansas State University where she studied Public Relations and Mass Communications. Besides UXPA, Alyssa is involved with DevOpsKC and JavaScriptKC helping host and run their monthly meet-ups. Outside of work, Alyssa is an avid concert goer, plant connoisseur, grill master, and dog mama to her two rescues, Stink & Max.

Meet Mya Coleman! She's a dedicated advocate for inclusivity and accessibility, now calling Kansas City home after making the exciting move from Houston, Texas, almost two years ago. Mya's heart belongs in special education, where she pours her energy into uplifting her students and making sure everyone feels valued and included. But that's not all! Mya's got big dreams beyond the classroom. She's all about making technology more accessible for everyone and is on a mission to blend her love for user experience (UX) design with her passion for accessibility. When she's not busy changing lives or plotting her next big move in the world of tech, Mya loves nothing more than hanging out with her adorable chihuahua, Sally. And did we mention Mya's adventurous streak? From Rio De Janeiro, Brazil to Anchorage, Alaska and everywhere in between, she's knocking world destinations off her bucket list and each experience has only fueled her desire to spread kindness and inclusivity wherever she goes.

Kate is a UX Designer & artist. As a designer, she works to create intuitive and accessible products that are first and foremost useful. She is currently working as a UX Designer at Hudson Crop Insurance where she works on a vast and robust CMS that serves a slue of different users. As an artist, she studies mass communication and how our personal desires are informed by and reflect society. Collaborative, ethical work environments that put the needs of people first are her jam. Kate spent the first 8 years of her career as an academic before transitioning to UXD -- she has a B.F.A. in Printmaking from Northwest Missouri State University and an M.F.A. in Visual Art from Arizona State University.

Bill is a Product Designer at CommunityAmerica Credit Union where he focuses on building accessible banking and investment apps. A native Texan and graduate of Texas State University-San Marcos, Bill studied web design and small animal science before relocating to Kansas City. In his free time, he enjoys church activities, woodworking, playing guitar, and spending time with his wife, blending his creative roots with his passion for building for everyone.

Casey Hill is the Principal Sr. Enterprise Architect, UX at SAIC, servicing clients at the United States Department of Agriculture. In his over 25 years of service in the digital industry, he has worked on a number of fascinating projects for numerous clients/brands, including Pepsi-co, Pizza Hut, Dairy Queen, Frito-Lay, Sprint, P&G, Pfizer, Abbott Labs, On The Border, Guinness, and Johnny Walker. Casey specializes in User Experience architecture, product development, and strategic marketing initiatives. Always up for new and exciting challenges, Casey more recently started a new chapter in his education at Stanford University Graduate School of Business Executive LEAD program, where he is taking courses focused on strategic leadership and design thinking, with the ultimate goal of bridging the gap between business operations and product design.

Dan is a UX Designer for Garmin in Kansas City where he works on smartwatches and other tools for outdoor enthusiasts. Prior to that, he was a UX Designer at backstitch in Kansas City, and earlier directed communications and design efforts at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University, where he helped create web tools for tracking internet censorship, podcasts about autonomous vehicles, and reports about rural broadband. He enjoys bringing an ethical and inclusive mindset to technology, and generally complaining about bad UX. In his free time you can find him running or baking.

Leveraging her background in nursing, Catherine transitioned to product management and is driven by a passion for technology and a desire for broader impact. She brings a unique perspective, combining deep user understanding with a data-driven approach to building innovative solutions. By day, Catherine is a Product Manager at Elimu Informatics, a leading provider for EHR, FHIR, and CDS solutions, utilizing her expertise in clinical informatics and agile development. By night, she is a busy mom juggling work and family.

Frank is Senior UX Manager at Woodruff where his current duties include creating wireframes, sitemaps, and general information architecture for website designs. He got his start in UX designing icon families and UI elements for Sizewise, a medical manufacturing company based in KC. At Sizewise, Frank tried to bring common UX patterns and interface elements to the field of medical technology to make products that were more intuitive for caregivers and felt modern. Frank’s design weapons of choice are Figma, Webflow, and an iPad covered in coffee shop stickers. When not designing, Frank can be found embracing his Sicilian heritage making pizzas and loudly insisting friends and family eat more.

Monica (Anh) is currently a UX design intern at Brand New Box and a design research assistant at the University of Kansas. She is interested in cross-cultural design which embraces cultural differences and translates them into product design. Monica focuses on creating meaningful experiences by conducting user research, implementing interactive prototypes, and practicing user-centered design. When she is not designing, you can find her watching true crime shows and munching on Asian snacks.

Lisa is a designer, educator and speaker. Her work and research engages design histories, typography, and user experiences in relationship with projected, screen- and image-media. Lisa cut her teeth in New York City at various studios including 2×4, Pentagram, mgmt. design, Wolff Olins, and Metropolis magazine before starting an independent studio practice. She holds an MFA and BFA in Graphic Design from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) and a post-graduate certificate in Typeface Design from Type@Cooper NYC. Since 2008, she has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in design at Parsons School of Design, Queens College CUNY, Marymount Manhattan College, and Oklahoma State University. She is currently a full-time Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Kansas City Art Institute in KCMO.

Anjana is currently works at CommunityAmerica Credit Union where she manages user experience, customer experience, and market research. Coming from a product background, she enjoys building research-backed products and services with the user in mind. She went to Kansas State University and received a Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Management. She also has an MBA from Baker University. Currently, she was accepted into the 2-year, Centurions Leadership Program that’s run by the KC Chamber. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her dog, reading, listening to podcasts, and traveling.

Yoda of UX Research. More stories than Mother Goose - a life of adventure and experiences is best how to describe Joel. Homeless in New York City, fishmonger (but allergic to shellfish), filmmaker who gets nervous before camera rolls, Zen practitioner, Star Wars fanatic, plant daddy, trippy hippie, and owner of Journey the Dalmatian and Odyssey the Puffball Chinese Crested dog. A UX researcher raised in Kansas City hailing from Brookside. Ten years in the field of UX. Mentor to hundreds around the world. But if asked directly, he'll say he is nothing and no one. His mentors are names you know: Ram Dass, Shunryu Suzuki, Alan Watts, Krishna Das, Peter Zeihan to name a few. When not working in the sciences of human factors/ergonomic psychology and anthropology that he loves, you can find Joel in nature with the fam, kayaking, gardening, telling stories and hosting friends to the house for cinnamon rolls, tea, stories and laughter. A reminder always, to be here, now.

Ryan Laws has spent 20 years as a Technical Writer, mainly in the software industry. He is a native of Kansas City. In his free time, he enjoys reading, movies, board games, and going to museums.

Tomomi Suenaga Summers is a nonprofit-turned-UX-Research professional. She thrives on digging into problem spaces, listening to people talk about what they’re into or interfacing with, finding the themes, and presenting actionable insights. She likes to make things work better. Improving and challenging things, programs, and systems is a practice she brings from a decade in nonprofit, a BFA in Art Education from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and volunteer service here, there, and everywhere. She came to UX for the people, and she stays for the people. Outside of projects, you’ll generally find her with her family, eating a bunch of food.