ABOUT ME
About me
I’m a cultural anthropologist and graphic designer turned senior product designer, building products from Nebraska. My background in research taught me to pay attention to patterns, workarounds, contradictions, and the quiet ways people make sense of the world. Design gave me the tools to turn those observations into action. The result is a practice rooted in curiosity, empathy, systems thinking, and a belief that good products begin with understanding people.
I'm deeply interested in ecology, environmental stewardship, and the social infrastructure that allows communities to feed themselves. Much of my time is spent contributing to projects like Free Farm Syndicate, Blazing Star Seed Coop, and Groundwater Farmer’s Almanac, where neighbors work together to grow, save, and distribute food outside conventional systems.
Through the program, I’ve completed residencies in the Netherlands, Mexico, and Portugal, with upcoming residencies in Estonia and Spain.
What it’s like to work with me...
“Emma is great for facilitating her vision for our
side of the marketplace product team. She is great at articulating what her and [our PM] are
currently thinking, open to breaking things down/decomposing work and is always thinking of what she needs to test our hypotheses.”
Senior Software Engineer
side of the marketplace product team. She is great at articulating what her and [our PM] are
currently thinking, open to breaking things down/decomposing work and is always thinking of what she needs to test our hypotheses.”
Senior Software Engineer
“Emma is an excellent collaborator and is great at supporting all other designers ideas and promoting a positive environment for everyone to jam on. I appreciate how much Emma was served as a resource to learn from. She is very generous with her time, from creating documentation to hopping on last-minute calls to help me better understand complicated workflows.”
Senior Product Designer
Senior Product Designer
“I appreciate and admire the fact that Emma
always comes to the table with a positive and energetic attitude, even when things are difficult.
I have not seen her phased yet, even though the team had some challenging conversations earlier this year.”
Director of Engineering
always comes to the table with a positive and energetic attitude, even when things are difficult.
I have not seen her phased yet, even though the team had some challenging conversations earlier this year.”
Director of Engineering
Urban Growing
What draws me to food work is the same thing that drew me to anthropology and design: a fascination with how people organize themselves to meet shared needs. Food is the oldest and most essential system we have, yet many of the structures that govern it have become increasingly complex, fragile, and disconnected from place. I'm interested in exploring alternatives ways of growing, sharing, and distributing food that are more resilient, intuitive, and rooted in community. Whether I'm designing software or harvesting tomatoes, I'm ultimately asking the same question: how can we build systems that make life a little easier, more connected, and more human?
ABOUT ME