Chief of Staff & Design Engineer for Early-Stage Products
I’m a strategic operator and creative systems thinker, currently serving as Chief of Staff at Hamlet—where I partner closely with the CEO to drive product innovation, growth experiments, and internal R&D. My approach blends design thinking, systems building, and operator discipline to help teams unlock clarity, momentum, and results in uncertain spaces.
With 15+ years leading product, design, and cross-functional teams, I specialize in navigating ambiguity, aligning people around bold ideas, and turning early-stage concepts into meaningful outcomes. My work lives at the intersection of systems thinking, team dynamics, and user-centered execution.
I move fluidly between product, engineering, and design—bringing structure to complexity, uncovering signals in noise, and building toward what’s next. I’m especially drawn to mission-driven teams solving hard, high-context problems with curiosity, integrity, and heart.
Career highlights:
- Chief of Staff at Hamlet, leading R&D and AI product experiments for GovTech
- Partnered with stealth startups to validate proof-of-concept products in security, AI, and climate.
- Former Sr Design Manager in climate tech where my team scaled core product lines to >$4M ARR.
“Mariesa is the best manager I have ever had…
I came to her at a stage of my career where I was wanting to advance to a senior title but didn’t know how exactly to get the promotion. I was in a generalist UX role I wasn’t super inspired by and felt a little trapped. Over the course of the 2.5 years I reported to her, we worked together to get that promotion, building up my skills, identifying areas for growth and filling in the gaps to make sure I was ready for a senior role, while also figuring out a path for specialization.
That 2.5 years we worked together had such a positive impact on me as a designer and helped me get to where I am today. She encouraged me to pursue my specialization and the design system leadership role I am in now was a goal we identified together years ago. With her help, I grew from a generalist practitioner to a manager and leader in my specialty.
Mariesa is the kind of manager that challenges and encourages people to reach their full potential in a way that has a long term impact long past when they report to them. I have had several managers since, but when I look at my career today I can’t help but attribute a lot of the path I forged for myself the result of conversations we were having when I was her report 2020-2022.
If you want to bring in a design leader that will inspire your team to do their best work and love their jobs, Mariesa is who you want.”
— Shauna Keating, direct report from 2000-2022 @ Truss.works
Awards & speaking experience
JULY 2019
UXPA International
Speaker & Workshop Facilitator
Developed & executed a workshop navigating through two of the five exercises in the, “The Design Ethics Toolkit”, frameworks created for teams considering the outcomes of the products they create.
https://github.com/MKDale/ethics-frameworks
JULY 2018
DC Tech Stories Podcast
Guest Panelist
Four panelists walk through how they think of design systems, some pros and cons, and how their companies put them into practice.
http://dctechstories.com/
APRIL 2018
CF Summit Boston
Guest Panelist, Tech Ethics: Putting People Ahead of Technology
Four panelists discuss the ethical oath we need to take, the origins of the Hippocratic Oath for Technologists written by M.Dale, and the steps that must be taken to drive ourselves down a more ethical path.
Link to the event
MARCH 2018
Authored and published: “The Technologist’s Hippocratic Oath”
An optional oath for building ethically considered experiences. Originally published to Pivotal Lab’s public facing blog, “Built to Adapt”,
https://builttoadapt.io/technologists-hippocratic-oath-94b88d3fe480
SEPTEMBER 2016
Powerful Women Designers Award Recipient, DCFem Tech
DCFemTech is a coalition of women leaders aimed at amplifying the efforts of women in tech organizations, sharing resources, and bringing leaders together to close the gender gap. Membership is inclusive and open to any women in tech leaders. Members are affiliated with organizations with women attendance that is 50% or higher; who have a focus on technology; and have a primary focus in the mission statement about diversity.
https://dcfemtech.github.io/
Let’s work together
Like what you see and think it could help improve your product or take your idea to the next level? Reach out and send me note via the contact form.
The full professional story
I work at the intersection of design, science, and art. My education began in design, followed by a year of travel in Europe, after which I switched to fine arts, focusing on encaustic painting and photography. My first design job involved layout for a newsletter and magazine for The Wilderness Society. After caring for my newborn around the 2009 market crash, I started my own consulting business, quickly growing from local work to clients like The World Bank and SpaceX.
After five years of successfully running my own consultancy, I joined Armor Text as a designer and product manager, pitching to investors in San Francisco. I then became the founding Product Designer at Pivotal Labs in DC, managing projects for clients like USCIS and World Wildlife Fund, gaining management experience.
In 2018, I moved to Atlanta to be a Design Manager at Mailchimp before returning to the Pacific Northwest. Now, I live in Spokane, WA with my husband and our two sons. For the last six years, I have focused on ethically designed products and encouraging teams to consider their impact. You can read The Hippocratic Oath for Technologists I wrote in 2016 by clicking the button below.
Idealis Design 