Department: Communications and Outreach
Title: Senior Vice President of Digital Strategy
What is your job?
I manage a team of content strategists, designers, and creative technologists to develop innovative digital products, including data visualizations, videos, and podcasts. The goal of our team is to help the public understand the work of the New York Fed. To do so, we leverage multiple digital platforms, including the website, mobile apps, and social media to make our story compelling and accessible. In addition, I am a coach, giving lectures and workshops on data visualization and presentation skills at the New York Fed and across the Federal Reserve System.
What attracted you to accept a role at the New York Fed?
The work of the Federal Reserve touches the lives of many people, whether they know it or not. I thought it was such a unique opportunity to help the public understand the work of the New York Fed. It also felt like a natural extension to my experience as a visual journalist at The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, where I worked with my team to make information accessible to a large audience.
What have you found most surprising about working at the New York Fed?
We always hear about the work of the Federal Reserve on monetary policy and the world-class research of its economists. Now I have a great appreciation for the outreach work that helps our local constituents. The New York Fed's Outreach team develops programs to engage with local schools, small business owners, and residents affected by natural disasters. All of that work often goes unnoticed by the public, and yet it makes a significant contribution to the health of the economy.
How have you advanced your career at the New York Fed?
As a manager and a leader, I am only as good as the people I have on my team. This philosophy has been my guiding principle throughout my career. I describe myself as a change agent. In each job, I have had to build a team. Building a strong team means developing strong relationships inside and outside of the group. Within the team, I use a player-coach management style, which means I keep up my own technical skills so that I can anticipate challenges and guide the team in achieving our goals. When it comes to hiring, I recognize my own shortcomings and make sure I hire people who complement my skills.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
My husband and I love to explore different ethnic neighborhoods in the city, especially for the food. We try to learn a few phrases of the local community's language so that we can say thank you, which is always appreciated.
Favorite hobby or interest?
I am an artist. One thing I especially enjoy is making art out of my children's art. There are many drawings that my children made when they were young that have a few brush strokes of color. I made a collage I named "Light" out of these drawings by juxtaposing my children's art pieces in an array of colors.
Favorite food?
Dim sum—an assortment of small Chinese plates—is a tradition that brings together the family so that we can share stories and catch up with each other. The family gathering is actually more important to me than the food itself.
