My New Mission: From Spying to Startups
My career in government began as it ended, by asking for a job that didn’t actually exist yet. Whereas the first conversation had led to an internship at the U.S. consulate in Munich, this time, a video call set me on the path to joining the design and innovation startup, TM. In between, there had been all sorts of adventures: two summers in Vienna at the U.S. embassy, leading virtual collaboration among Middle East and South Asia specialists across the Intelligence Community, creating the Intelligence Community’s first mobile application, traveling to two warzones, designing workspaces in DC and abroad, and speaking on a panel at South By Southwest, to name a few.
So then why did I leave? And why TM? For most of my career in the government, I led projects and teams that tried to change the way the Intelligence Community completed its mission: increasing collaboration, improving analysts’ digital acumen, creating spaces and policies that built workforce resilience, and advocating for the use of design thinking. In my efforts to create a culture of innovation, I was often asked to define the term. Here’s what I always said: “Innovation is something new that gets used to support mission.” Those three components were required: novelty, utility, and purpose.
But here’s the challenge: after being in the diverse yet isolated bubble of the Intelligence Community for nearly my whole career, I worried about getting stale. I had enough experience with implementing new technologies to know how difficult it could all be, from acquisition, to design, to security accreditation, to deployment. I feared that I would begin to internalize the status quo and accept the limitations of the current system. And that is not who I am as a person, and not what this country needs to thrive. I needed a place where new ideas are met with “yes and,” where I would have the freedom to explore possibilities, and could collaborate with some of the sharpest and most creative minds in the country.
However, I also knew that no matter my employer, I still needed to work for a cause greater than myself, and greater than quarterly stock earnings. I needed a place that had both infinite opportunity for growth and creativity, yet also remained firmly mission focused.
Starting with that first call with TM, I knew I had found that place. Shaun explained that all of the company’s projects, whether for public or private sector clients, had a social impact focus. For example, how might a health care company’s mobile app nudge people to develop healthier habits? How might the federal government ensure that all its digital platforms are easy to use, accessible, and secure? How might our national security leaders better visualize and track data on topics ranging from covid spread to natural resource disputes in the Arctic?
Clearly, this was the right place for me. But was I the right person for them? After all, TM receives thousands of applications for its designer roles, and while I have taught design thinking courses for years, I didn’t have a design portfolio or regularly spend time in Sketch or Figma (let’s be honest, I had never heard of Figma at that point). However, I brought something that no one in TM had: over a decade’s experience explaining the value of design to skeptical audiences. I made my case, and TM listened, eventually offering me the new role of Director of Research and Strategy.
And now, a little over a month after making the jump, I know it was exactly the right decision. I’m able to combine my experience with how things work (or don’t work) in the government, with new potential solutions, and — thanks to the amazing TM design team — quickly turn those ideas into a prototype and get customer feedback. I’ve researched the use of nudges to help people develop healthy habits, sketched out options for accelerating the veteran disability application process, and interviewed analysts about how they visualize trends related to natural resource conflict — and that was just one day! The novelty is back, and utility and purpose are present in full force.
I’m excited to see where this next chapter leads. Stay tuned to this space for updates!
