Why I started Gravity Strategy
I've spent much of my career in environments where small design, information, and communication failures can become operational problems. As a mountain guide, federal avalanche forecaster, search and rescue leader, and EMT, I've seen what happens when people are cold, tired, under time pressure, working with incomplete information, or trying to coordinate across multiple teams.
At the same time, I worked as a consultant on consumer emergency systems used by millions, including satellite-based SOS, crash detection, and 911/PSAP validation for a Fortune 10 technology company.
That work reinforced something I had already seen in the mountains: a product can function exactly as designed and still fail as a system. The user, environment, connectivity, information flow, and downstream response all matter.
I started Gravity Strategy to help product teams test those interactions before they become real operational problems.
What I bring to the work
Field and operations
I've led more than 1,000 mountain rescue and avalanche operations and forecasted avalanche hazard for the federal government. I'm an AMGA-certified ski guide and an EMT.
That experience gives me a practical understanding of how people make decisions, communicate, use equipment, and make mistakes when conditions are difficult and the consequences are real.
Product development
I've also worked inside product development on consumer emergency technology used at large scale, including satellite-based SOS, crash detection, and 911/PSAP validation. My graduate training at Carnegie Mellon's Integrated Innovation Institute combines engineering, design, and business.
I bring those disciplines together when I evaluate a product: how it is designed, how a person actually uses it, and what happens operationally after they do.
How I work
I lead every Gravity Strategy project myself, from the first conversation through the final findings.
Most engagements are fixed-scope projects with a defined question and deliverables. When a project requires additional expertise, I recruit specialists for that specific work: guides, forecasters, rescuers, dispatch professionals, medical professionals, field operators, or representative users.
Gravity Strategy is intentionally a small practice. Clients hire me for senior judgment and direct involvement, not for access to a large consulting team.
Most field testing asks whether the device works. I'm interested in whether the whole system works when the situation gets difficult.
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Carnegie Mellon, Integrated Innovation Institute
Graduate training combining engineering, design, and business for product development.
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Professional avalanche forecaster
Professional member of the American Avalanche Association; forecasted hazard for the federal government.
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AMGA Ski Guide
American Mountain Guides Association certification in professional mountain guiding.
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EMT
Emergency Medical Technician, trained in pre-hospital emergency medical response.