Carrie is a creative hybrid. She received her Masters of Architecture from Kansas State University in 2008, and now pursues Interaction Design at SVA. In the two year gap between academic programs, Carrie worked for boutique architecture firms in Portland, Oregon in pursuit of her desire to help build healthy, more sustainable buildings and neighborhoods.

From her experience practicing architecture, Carrie realized that she was curious about the people she was designing for and wanted to know more about them. For her, understanding how people behave and the cause of their behaviors, provides insight into the design of the buildings and neighborhoods in which we live, and the products and services we use. Carrie is drawn to user research as a key component in the design process. She believes this insight can be used to create clever designs that change human behavior.

Carrie is a change-maker. She is convinced that in order to make change in the problems we face as a society, we need a shared understanding among the people involved. Technology can connect and create conversation among the appropriate players within a problem space. As an example, Carrie has an interest in working toward reform in the food production system in America. She hopes to facilitate communication between farmers, policy-makers and consumers to realize a shared language and common goal. Through her work, Carrie hopes to initiate behavioral change at both a systems and personal level.