About
After more than 25 years leading consumer research and insights functions at some of the most recognized companies in the country, I made a deliberate decision to take that experience outside the walls of a single organization and make it available to the businesses that need it most.
Why Hill Country Insights?
Throughout my career I have seen firsthand how insights work lands differently depending on the size and stage of a business. At large enterprises, research often drives incremental change, informing small optimizations within already established strategies. At small and mid-size businesses, the right insight at the right moment can fundamentally shape the direction of a company. That is where I want to work. That is where insights leadership has the greatest impact.
The reality is that senior insights leadership has historically been reserved for large enterprises with the budget to support it. Growing businesses face the same complex customer and market questions that Fortune 500 companies do, but rarely have access to the same caliber of research leadership to help answer them. Hill Country Insights exists to change that.
I also believe the fractional model itself is at an inflection point. As AI continues to improve and integrate into research workflows, a skilled fractional insights executive can deliver more value, more efficiently, than ever before. The combination of senior leadership and AI-assisted research capability makes this model increasingly compelling for businesses that want enterprise-caliber insights without the enterprise-level overhead.
Based in Austin, Texas, I work with businesses across the United States and internationally, bringing experience in both custom and international research to every engagement.
My Approach
I believe that great research is not just about data. It is about asking the right questions, finding the truth in what customers are telling you, and translating that truth into decisions that move a business forward. Too often, research gets done for the sake of doing research. Reports get produced, findings get presented, and then they sit on a shelf. That is not the kind of work I do.
My focus is always on the intersection of customer insight and business impact. Every research initiative I lead is anchored to a strategic objective, designed with the end decision in mind, and delivered in a way that makes it impossible to ignore.
I also believe that the best insights functions are built from within. My goal in every engagement is not just to answer today's questions, but to leave your organization more capable, more curious, and more confident in its ability to understand its customers long after our work together is done.
Experience and Credentials
Over the course of my career I have had the privilege of building and leading insights functions at organizations where customer understanding was not a nice to have but a business imperative. That experience includes creating and managing substantial research budgets, as well as extensive work vetting, negotiating with, and managing research vendors to ensure quality, efficiency, and strategic alignment.
At AMC Theatres, I spent 17 years building the company's consumer insights capability from the ground up. During that time I led the research that repositioned the brand, supported revenue growth from approximately $2 billion to $5 billion, and launched a loyalty program that acquired more than 30 million members. I led segmentation and persona development that shaped how the business understood and targeted its customers, conducted journey mapping that uncovered critical gaps in the guest experience, and used research to design and refine a subscription program that became one of the most successful and profitable in the entertainment industry.
At Amazon, I served as the first dedicated researcher for Amazon Business Prime, a large-scale B2B marketplace membership program serving millions of global customers. In that role I led international quantitative studies, guided the development of new member benefits, conducted user experience research that improved the clarity and effectiveness of key customer touchpoints, and led qualitative research to deepen understanding of member needs and behaviors. I also integrated AI tools into research workflows to improve speed and impact.
Earlier in my career I spent seven years at Nielsen, formerly Arbitron, leading custom and international research initiatives across Latin America, Canada, and Europe.
I hold a Master of Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from York College of Pennsylvania.
A Note on How I Work
I take a limited number of engagements at a time by design. This is not a volume business. When I work with a client, I am genuinely embedded in their organization, invested in their success, and focused on delivering the kind of leadership that makes a lasting difference. If that sounds like what your business needs, I would welcome the opportunity to connect.