Board & investment advisory
Board experience grounded in building businesses.
I’m interested in board and advisory roles with consumer and founder-led companies, especially food and beverage. Twenty years of building an independent national brand gave me firsthand experience with growth, distribution, capital, changing markets and long-term strategy. I bring that operating perspective to the boardroom.
What I bring
Twenty years as a founder and CEO.
- Founder and CEO
- Twenty years leading DRY meant building teams, working with boards and investors, setting strategy and making decisions through many stages of growth.
- Consumer brand building
- DRY began with four flavors in my kitchen and stayed in the market for two decades. We earned loyal customers, changed the category and kept adapting. Now I’m applying those lessons at Second Sip.
- Commercial growth and distribution
- I’ve won national grocery and club placements, built markets from the ground up and worked extensively with retailers, brokers, KeHE, UNFI and other distribution partners. I understand both the opportunities and the work required to make distribution productive.
- Capital
- I’ve raised many investment rounds, negotiated terms and managed investor relationships over many years. I understand how the right capital partner can support a company’s long-term goals.
- Financial and operational judgment
- I’ve managed budgets, invested in growth, adjusted costs and rebuilt margin plans as the business evolved. I understand the connection between exciting sales numbers and healthy cash flow.
- Governance and strategy
- I know what it feels like to be the CEO who has to carry out the board’s advice. The useful conversations are the ones that help management make a better decision and move forward.
- Brand, retail and hospitality
- I’ve worked directly with buyers, chefs, bartenders, brokers and distributors. I know what earns their attention and, more importantly, what helps a brand keep its place on a shelf or menu.
Where I’d add the most
Helping companies through their next stage of growth.
I am especially useful to companies that have proved someone wants the product but are struggling with what comes next. Maybe they’ve landed a national chain and the economics aren’t working, lost a major account, outgrown the original team or need to rethink how they spend. I’ve faced all of those situations, and learned from some of them more than once.
I read the material, ask questions and speak plainly. I also know that sometimes the most valuable thing a board member can do is answer the phone when the founder is facing a decision that doesn’t have a clean answer.
Service and leadership roles
Board and industry service to date
I’ve worked closely with boards and investors throughout my career as a founder and CEO. I’ve also served in the industry and nonprofit roles listed below.
- Founding board member, Adult Non-Alcoholic Beverage Association (ANBA)Industry association · 2022
- President, Seattle chapter, Forum for Women EntrepreneursNonprofit · 2000–2002
- Board member, Aliados FoundationNonprofit · 2018–present
- Business plan competition judge, University of Washington Foster School of BusinessAcademic · 2010–2018
Considering an independent director or advisor?
I’m open to confidential conversations with investors, board chairs and search firms about where my experience could be useful.
Discuss a board role