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About Payge Kerman
Creator of distinguished product teams, leader of brilliant minds, hater of cilantro.

Payge Kerman.

Creator of distinguished product teams, leader of brilliant minds, hater of cilantro.

Leading design requires more than just vision–it demands precision and purpose. Operational efficiency and user-focused innovation propel me professionally. I'm driven by a passion for design excellence and a commitment to organizational impact.

A tale while you
sip your coffee

A tale for your coffee break

Many years ago, I worked as the Web Director for an agency in D.C. I loved my job and my team of 9. One morning, the CEO called to tell me she was shutting down her agency. She offered to give me all her clients, as long as I started my own agency.

So, I ran my own agency for 6 years and served in many different roles. When my team grew, I found myself sitting in the Executive Creative Director role, helping give process and structure to creative endeavors.

Design is my
happy place.

COVID-19 brought to me a deep love of podcasts, and a feeling of being trapped. Not just in my home, but also in my life. Burnout called. I was asked to pay the ransom or I would be her next victim. Unfortunately, I didn't listen.

The burnout hit me swiftly, but it left me with a desire to listen to my strengths and make a dramatic life change. I decided to sell my agency. So, why am I escaping burnout by looking for a new career?

Because I love what I do.

Because
I love what I do.

I am craving a new environment and new challenges. I'm excited by the future of tech, and know my agency background will not only help me do the best work I can do, but also be the best leader I can be.

What matters
to me?

A new career awaits.

Honesty is kind

I approach each interaction with honesty and transparency. When delivering critiques or feedback, providing people with an honest perspective is the kind thing to do. Without honesty, there is no growth.

The world is my classroom

Just because we're outside a classroom doesn't mean that learning should terminate. I instill my teams and myself with the tools to learn by doing, I promote "failing" often, and I'm a proponent of sharing knowledge.

Work can (and should) be fun

When we step into the office (or the remote "office"), we leave behind families, pets, and fully-stocked refrigerators of our favorite La Croix flavors to enter into a new headspace. If work isn't fun, what's the drive to leave all that behind? I seek to make each day in the office as entertaining and rewarding as it is productive.

Accountable to myself and others

My team members are responsible for their designs, but I am responsible for their performance and the outcome of the products we deliver. If a product flops because of the UX, it's not just the designer I look to for answers – it's myself. I vouch for and back design decisions made by my team before they're released.