About me

Quick Snapshot

Hey, I’m Dan — a Design System Product Owner at Cisco, based in Denver and working remotely. I wrangle the Muse Design System, helping shape how Cisco builds and scales its digital experiences. My background spans design, front-end development, and systems thinking, which makes me a bit of a glue person across disciplines.

Outside of work, I’m into sci-fi and fantasy novels (30+ a year, easy), creative tech tinkering like 3D printing, and rethinking personal workflows more often than I probably should. I’m always chasing that sweet spot between structure and spontaneity.

Career Journey

I got my start in high school building websites and messing around in Photoshop. After earning a B.F.A. in Graphic Design, I worked agency-side for a while — from small shops in western Colorado to bigger teams in Denver. That path eventually led me into product development and design systems.

Since joining Cisco in 2021, I’ve helped evolve Muse from a design toolset into a robust system that supports cross-functional teams at scale. I now guide its roadmap, structure our workflows, align with brand, and ensure the system is usable by both designers and devs.

Who I Am

• 📚 Lifelong bookworm — mostly sci-fi and fantasy
• 🧠 Self-taught developer, design-trained
• 🧰 Serial tinkerer: 3D prints, desk setups, automation rabbit holes
• 🎮 Occasional gamer, more for comfort than challenge
• 🌇 Denver-based, mountain-time remote worker
• 💡 Constantly iterating on my own systems — from note-taking to workouts

I’m always trying to balance clarity with creativity — whether that’s in a Figma file, a documentation site, or the structure of my day.