Hi, I’m Allison ~ a product design manager obsessed with growing others, with a knack for direct communication, problem solving, and writing docs.
I’m currently a Product Design Manager at Asana, managing a team of designers working on the nuts and bolts of the product – projects, tasks and fields.
Before that, I was a Senior Product Design Manager at Ro, managing a team of designers across multiple patient-facing product areas.
Prior to Ro, I spent 9 years at BuzzFeed. I began as an individual contributor and eventually took on management and leadership responsibilities in a hybrid role. Then I spent a few years telling my manager I probably could never give up doing design work to become a full-time manager. But meanwhile I pushed harder into management and leadership, because it was incredibly fulfilling for me. I thrived on helping others grow and celebrating their achievements with them. I was obsessed with spreading knowledge across teams, and making everyone around me stronger. I dove into the challenges of helping others solve meaty design problems and even meatier communication problems. I couldn’t help but feel fully accountable for the entire Product Design team.
And I eventually told my manager that I was wrong. That I had to give up the design work because I couldn’t imagine myself not being a manager. Of course she laughed because she knew it all along (but wow she was the best for letting me come to the conclusion on my own).
So here I am. I’ve thrown myself into this career that combines all of my favorite things: growing people, supporting high performing teams, and digging deep into UX, visual design, and product strategy to ship impactful digital products. To learn more about my management and IC experience, download my resume.
Build trust. Show empathy. Always be curious. Push for clarity. Follow through. Regularly give feedback.
✍️ My management values
Coaching others. Asking open ended questions. Bringing clarity to a situation. Fostering direct communication. Crafting documentation.
❤️ Things I love doing