Through a career spanning tech and media, I’ve gained deep experience leading teams and transforming organizations. I have particular expertise in productive culture change, effective internal communication, strategic planning for startups and working with distributed teams.

I’m currently a Deputy Commissioner in NYC’s Office of Technology & Innovation. I’ve held executive roles at tech startups including Daily, Kit, and Mailchimp, and on the federal government's 18F team. Past roles include CEO and co-founder of Lean Startup Productions, a media startup; and VP of Programs for indie.vc. I’ve held senior management positions at O’Reilly Media and UBM TechWeb, co-authored The Twitter Book and was a freelance journalist writing regularly for The New York Times. Earlier in my career, I co-founded a record label with children’s musician Laurie Berkner, and I started Just Food's CSA in NYC program.

I hold an MBA from UC Berkeley's Haas School of Business and a BA from Rutgers University. Bonus facts: I was the 21st user of the original Twitter; I recently wrote a novel that I’m now querying; and I’m working on my next book.

I’ve spoken at dozens of conferences, universities, corporate meetings, workshops and other events, and I often appear as a guest on podcasts. I welcome new opportunities. Topics include:

• Scaling management for your stage and size

• Leading remote / distributed teams

• The surprising role of leaders in addressing harassment and bullying at work (here's a version of this talk at LeadDevNY 2022)

• Bringing tech thinking to your non-technical company

Short, fun talks I've given in the Ignite format include:

• How to Crave Kale

• Predictably Irrational: The Story of Phobias, Rubber Snakes and Free-Range Chickens

Select articles (a few superfaves in bold)

• How Team Agreements Promote High Performance, LeadDev

• The Secret to Hiring Engineers When You Pay Less than Google, LeadDev

• Fixing Salaries, Levels and Promotions, LeadDev

• Fostering a Culture of Accountability, LeadDev

• The Huge Opportunity of Remote Leadership, LeadDev

• Seven Ways to Help Your Team Connect When You’re Apart, LeadDev

• Three Ways to Lead Effectively When You Fire Somebody, LeadDev

• Leading Engineers When You Aren’t One Yourself, LeadDev

• Confronting Our Own Racism as White Engineering Managers, LeadDev

• Career Ladders Aren't Enough, LeadDev

• Harassers Are Nice to Me, and Probably to You, LeadDev (talk on the topic)

• I Work on a Treadmill, Better Humans

• Remote Work Insights You’ve Never Heard Before, Better Programming

• 29 Tips for Very Effective Remote Managers and Workers, Better Programming

• How to Manage Your Fear of Public Speaking, Medium

• How to Fail When You're Used to Winning: A Guide for Leaders, Medium

• Startups Almost Never Talk About This, But They Should, Medium

• Lean Startup 101: The Essential Ideas, How.co

• Ending Conferences Dominated by White Men, Harvard Business Review

• Five Ways White Feminists Can Address Our Own Racism, Huffington Post

• Staying Friends When You Don't Have Kids and Your BFFs Do, Medium

• Now, Brevity Is the Soul of Office Interaction, New York Times

• + More New York Times articles

Books

• The Twitter Book
  (O'Reilly Media)

• Google: The Missing Manual (O'Reilly Media)