My first job in high school was at a small store in the Washington DC-area called Appalachian Spring where I sold jewelry, pottery, glass, and other crafts made by American artists. It’s at Appalachian Spring where I developed a passion for all things handmade. I credit my time there (among other sources) with my desire to support artists, which brought me to New York to work at Kickstarter over two years ago.

At Kickstarter, I’ve had the opportunity to help people bring completely new ideas to life. From international expansion to building tools for backers, it’s been an incredible experience working on and shaping something that I believe in so much.

It’s time for a new challenge.

In a few weeks I’ll be starting as a designer at Etsy where I’ll continue to support artists and the DIY community. I couldn’t be more stoked about the team there, the problems I’ll be solving, and about inevitably sinking my paycheck back into the company. Etsy is a great company whose sellers I’ve been buying from for years. I’m fortunate to be able to work for places with missions I so strongly believe in.

Happy 2014!