Big News
It's been nearly a month since I've posted here... or anywhere else for that matter. I'm about to start posting again, starting with a big announcement tomorrow. But because I love each and every one of you, I'm writing this now to give y'all a one day jump on the official announcement. (Industry friends: please don't spoil the surprise).
Last month I accepted a new role as the Chief Data & Digital Officer at HKS Architects. HKS is a global firm of 1,700 architects, designers, researchers, data scientists that has built an amazing digital practice... that I now get to lead. Yikes.
The road to this job was extremely long. I first started talking informally with Cory (a good friend I've known since my New York days) about replacing him as CTO back in September of 2023. We met up when we were both coincidentally in New York–Cory for a conference and I for Asher and Zina's wedding. We kept shooting ideas back and forth, culminating in a series of interviews with HKS leaders in April of 2024–which I did from a hotel room in Vermont while waiting to watch the eclipse. Cory and I kept working together intermittently throughout 2024, at restaurants in Los Angeles or bars in San Francisco, every time we managed to be in the same city.
But then I had my accident. And honestly I assumed my professional life was over. In February, HKS listed the role on LinkedIn and I figured it wasn't even worth keeping my hat in the ring. After 24 hours, they had received over 3,000 applications–and I assumed that amongst that throng there would be amazing and competent people. And I didn't feel very amazing and competent, lying in my hospital bed, eating hospital food, and watching the Matrix trilogy on TBS for the third time.
Unbeknownst to me though, Cory kept my hat in the ring. And by the time they started the interview process I had been home for two months and was beginning to feel closer to ready. I met the people who would be my peers and my team. I talked with Heath, the new CEO. And even though I was still afraid I wouldn't be physically able to do the job, I was excited to get started.
And then one Tuesday in June, I got a message that Heath and Cory wanted to meet. It seemed out of the ordinary for the hiring process–I said to Dacia at the time "this is either to offer me the job over video, or it's the 'we've decided to go in a different direction' call." It turned out to be the latter. I couldn't be mad–they had decided to hire my friend Natasha, who is amazing and probably the only person I didn't mind losing to.
However, the call also became a "how can we find a way to work together?" call. Which is my favorite kind of call. Over the next two months Heath and I outlined the basis of what would become the CD&DO role. I'm being charged with leading our data strategy, our digital transformation, and the user experience for our staff, customers, and their communities. And now I get to work with the most amazing technology team in the industry, a world-class design research group, and some of the most knowledgeable practitioners in the world. I couldn't be happier.
So I want to take a moment here to thank all of you. I wouldn't have come this far–in my life, my recovery, and my career–without y'all. You're why I get out of bed in the morning and get to work.