Building Design Organizations That Deliver Business Results
I've led teams that drove 87% growth in new customers and a 43% increase in customer satisfaction for Amazon, designed the tools and processes to address $6B+ in annual revenue loss for Lowe's, mapped 1,720+ retail stores, and built design organizations from the ground up across $4B+ platforms. I bring design leadership from vision to measurable impact — at every scale.
From Tombstones to Transformation
My career in design started at 12, working for my grandfather's monument business in a small Illinois town. By 16, I was typesetting and etching portraits into granite with a diamond-tipped drill. It was meticulous, craft-driven work — and it sparked something that's driven everything I've done since.
What followed was 35+ years of building: agencies, teams, products, and systems — across advertising, e-commerce, enterprise software, and AI-first platforms. I've led design organizations at companies like Amazon, Lowe's, and American Tire Distributors, delivering work that reached millions of users and moved meaningful business needles.
Today I lead the Design team at Provenir, where I'm defining how users collaborate with autonomous AI agents inside a risk decisioning platform used by financial institutions worldwide. I'm also the founder of King Creative — a new venture focused on mobile product development, and a full-circle moment for someone who has been building things since he picked up a diamond drill at 16.
Building Design Teams That Scale
I lead design at the organizational level — not just the project level. That means building the teams, structures, processes, and career frameworks that allow design to operate at its best. I've grown teams from 2 to 20+, introduced research practices where none existed, created design systems that eliminated redundancy and accelerated output, and established the governance and leveling frameworks that give design orgs the infrastructure to scale without losing quality.
From Vision to Measurable Impact
Great design leadership isn't just about craft — it's about translating vision into outcomes that matter to the business. I've spent my career working at the intersection of design strategy and business results: redesigning complex, global platforms that drove measurable impact and growth, solving operational problems at enterprise scale, and building the cross-functional relationships that let design influence decisions before they become requirements.
Some of the brands I’ve worked with
A Word From My Partners & Collaborators
Brandi Gooden
Director, eCommerce Merchandising at Lowes Foods
"Mike thinks bigger than the ask and challenges those around him to do the same. He holds himself and others to the highest standards, raising the bar with each iteration of design and development. He is collaborative and engaging with business, product and technology teams; creating relationships that foster healthy, productive discussions and outcomes.
During our time working together, our product group had to create a proposal for a Merchandising initiative that, if approved, would impact the overall portfolio priorities. Mike, alongside myself and our systems architect, created a plan complete with user journey and high-level architecture to present to Sr. Management. Mike shared current and future state journeys to explain why our proposed plan was necessary. Well received by Sr. Management, Mike set a new standard — a new expectation — for how experience mapping is a critical part of our discovery process. The level of detail and care was unlike anything I'd seen before.
Mike is an asset to any team or initiative he works on. He has my highest recommendation.
Alli Gates
Marketing Design Leader — reported to me directly at ATD
"Mike set a remarkable example of leadership, mentorship, and innovation. One of his greatest strengths is his unwavering commitment to his team's growth and development — he genuinely cares about the career progression of each team member and is always ready to provide guidance and support.
Mike is a loyal advocate for the customer, consistently championing the delivery of high-quality, user-centric experiences. His adeptness in coaching the team to apply Lean UX strategies within an Agile framework significantly improved collaboration and communication cross-functionally. His expertise in user experience, strategy, and design facilitation is inspiring."
Michael Duve
Senior UX Designer — Lowe's Companies, Inc.
"What set Mike apart from other leaders I've worked with was his ability to interact with the business, all the while keeping user-centered design a central focus and never failing to let the user inform his direction. His ability to lead and drive results is a quality that cannot be overlooked — and one that should propel him into future roles."
Head of Design, Provenir · Founder, King Creative
Available for executive design leadership, advisory, and board roles.