Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
I have always been intrigued and excited by the benefits integrating technology into the workplace can bring to productivity and team engagement. From building a PHP-based web application to manage facilities work orders in the high school where I started my career, to championing the use of OneNote and Windows tablets to replace paper notebooks at one of the UK's largest universities, making things work better with technology has always been part of my agenda. Through 20 years of increasingly responsible operations roles across a wide variety of industries, I have had the opportunity to see how technology can enhance, but also how poorly planned or executed projects can have detrimental or unexpected impacts. Now, as Principal Consultant and owner at Bright Ideas Agency, my focus is on leveraging my vast operating experience, my passion for technology, and my focused technical skills, to help organizations understand where digital tools can help them achieve more, and how to best fit them into their unique needs. I specialize in Microsoft technologies, including Power Platform, but have experience in a wide range of product categories, from specialized hospitality software to physical security products. Whatever you need to enhance your success, I will work alongside you to design the right project, find the right partners, and deliver a fitting solution!
Bright Ideas Agency is a boutique consultancy helping small and mid-sized businesses cut through the noise around AI and make practical, informed decisions about adoption. I work with business leaders who know they need to act on AI but want to get it right; not just buy licenses and hope for the best. My work spans strategic consulting, technical implementation, and training, with deep expertise across Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot Studio, Microsoft Foundry, and Power Platform. I help you turn AI from a buzzword into a business tool, working with you strategically on design, implementation, and adoption, to deliver the results customers are looking for.
I deliver training sessions focused on Microsoft 365 Copilot adoption to business users in corporate roles.
Reporting to the Museum's President/CEO and a member of the senior management team, my role was to oversee visitor services, facilities, and technology. Alongside this as Bicentennial Project Manager I led the planning for the Museum's $12.7m infrastructure project celebrating the 200th anniversary of its National Historic Landmark property. Key achievements: • Development of an integrated three-phase program for a capital infrastructure improvement plan to renew all HVAC across the Museum's campus, provide a comprehensive security technology upgrade, and deliver a once-in-a-generation rehabilitation of the National Historic Landmark Baum-Longworth-Sinton-Taft House. • Assisting the Museum to successfully gain $1.25m of federal government funding for the Bicentennial Project, negotiating with vendors to ensure contracts were compliant with grant requirements, and supporting the development of effective systems for reporting. • Leading all technology and facilities response to the Covid-19 pandemic, including rolling out the adoption of work-from-home technologies for all employees, transitioning all on-premise data storage to be cloud accessible for remote work, implementing new cleaning and facilities upkeep standards, and implementing local, state, and CDC guidelines in day-to-day operations. • Delivering a campus expansion by leasing external space, negotiating lease agreement, overseeing the design and implementation of fit-out, designing and implementing technology infrastructure and IT equipment, and coordinating office moves. • Designing and implementing a strategy to put in place an effective IT renewal cycle to upgrade equipment that was predominantly 3+ years past recommended end of life. This included refreshing all end-user workstations and laptops, new switching, new hardware server and upgrades to all VMs, implementation of new cloud-based VoIP solution, new wireless network equipment, and completing a formal RFP process for a new MSP.
Role details: • Responsible for delivering an excellent, integrated visitor experience that enables guests to enjoy their time at the Taft Museum and to connect with its work. • Supervision of a range of visitor focused services including admissions and ticketing, the Lindner Family Cafe, the museum shop, special events, facility rentals, and catering. • Helping the organization achieve its strategic vision by developing new approaches to building a rich, welcoming visitor experience that connects audiences, existing and new, with the Taft's great art and historic setting.
Role details: • Oversight of all business operations and support functions across a business both operating a successful bistro restaurant and full service catering provision across some of the city and region's most high profile venues and events. • Responsibilities include financial management, marketing and communications, HR leadership, IT and business systems, facilities, operational business delivery, and administrative and back office functions. • Deploying a range of change management and leadership coaching to improve the effectiveness of the business and its management team.