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Alison Valley | Product Manager

I am passionate about creating holistic solutions that are data-driven and people-centered. As a creative and self-motivated person, I'm adept at finding and driving improvements and managing change. I enjoy the challenge of solving complex problems and translating ambiguous ideas into scalable solutions. I never settle for the status quo and hold myself and my peers accountable to an exceptionally high standard of efficiency and effectiveness. I'm a quick learner and can easily adapt to overcome a new challenge.

Education

University of North Carolina Asheville

Asheville, North Carolina

Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology

Graduated May 2017

University of California, Berkeley Extension

Berkeley, California

Specialized Certificate Program in UX Research

August - December 2023

Pratt Institute

New York, New York

Specialized Certificate Program in Human-Centered Design

August - December 2022

University of Sussex

Brighton, England

Anthropology and Global Studies

Fall, 2016

The National University of Ireland Galway

Galway, Ireland

Archeological Field School

Summer, 2015

Professional Experience

Product Manager

Technology Advice

Remote

July 2023 - March 2024

  • Spearheaded product vision, strategy, and roadmap for portfolio websites, leveraging market analysis and customer insights to drive traffic, revenue, and SEO.

  • Owned and executed design processes from discovery through ideation and iteration, playing a hands-on role in guiding UX flows and mentoring designers in best practices resulting in a 30% reduction in design turnaround time.

  • Streamlined cross-functional collaboration among engineering, design, editorial, and product teams to drive product development and managed challenges such as scope creep and resource bottlenecks, resulting in a 40% improvement in project delivery timelines.

  • Led a company-wide initiative to assess and mitigate accessibility issues across the

  • product portfolio, utilizing WCAG reports and Google PageSpeed Insights analysis to inform actionable technical and design updates, achieving a core web vitals evaluation score exceeding 95%.

  • Collaborated with content teams to develop superior digital content experiences, ensuring alignment with both user needs and business goals at every phase contributing to an average page performance increase of 50%.

  • Orchestrated the prioritization of findings from user research and business validation for design solutions, leading to a 25% improvement in new and returning users and a 10% increase in revenue for website feature launches.

Senior Project Manager 

Technology Advice
Remote

February 2023 - July 2023

  • Led cross-functional efforts to optimize brand websites, overseeing content management, implementing architectural changes, and collaborating with content teams to develop superior web experiences that aligned with user needs and business goals, resulting in a 30% average increase in page performance.

  • Championed human-centered design and accessibility principles while leading a cross-functional team of international UX and graphic designers.

  • Executed A/B tests, conducted data analysis, identified trends, and pinpointed key
    optimization levers.

Digital Design Project Manager

Technology Advice, Fit Small Business

Remote

September 2021 - February 2023

  • Efficiently and strategically led an international team of UX and graphic designers, enforcing a high level of attention to detail, ensuring efficient project completion, and cultivating a deep understanding of expectations to ensure project success and stakeholder satisfaction.

  • Researched, planned, and executed custom UX elements such as calculators, quizzes, generators, downloadable assets, etc., and ensured the success of each widget through detailed testing and clear communication with stakeholders.

  • Oversaw the development backlog and established clear priorities, using a transparent system of accountability and effectively communicated bottlenecks.

  • Designed and implemented UX element reports using Google Data Studio to track user engagement and task completion. Developed a reporting framework to consistently and accurately read reports and communicated the findings to stakeholders.

  • Created and maintained detailed brand guidelines with a focus on accessibility and user experience.

Project Manager

Christine Walker Consulting 

Charlotte, NC & Remote

May 2020 - September 2021

  • Strategized, executed, and oversaw development projects to grow the company including website optimization, tracking method improvements, host transfers, template updates, product upgrades, etc. efficiently and cost-effectively

  • Lead an international team of developers to ensure the success of products and the satisfaction of clients using clear systems of accountability, high attention to detail, efficient project completion, and a deep understanding of goals and expectations

  • Worked directly with clients to establish a website project outline which included creating sitemaps, content plans, and design plans for healthcare websites focused on leads, conversions, and revenue

  • Established a reliable and concrete processes and procedures database of text, visuals, and videos for the operations department to document and demonstrate company standards and protocols

  • Created and continuously optimized website analytics reports for both client presentation and company analysis to tactically optimize websites

Client Success Specialist and Web Designer

Christine Walker Consulting 

Charlotte, NC

December 2019 - May 2020

  • Designed and developed visually appealing and user-friendly websites, incorporating best practices in layout, navigation, and functionality to optimize user experience and achieve client objectives.

  • Spearheaded client success strategies for healthcare portfolios, acting as the primary liaison and nurturing strong client relationships.

  • Led cross-functional teams in crafting tailored, high-performance websites for healthcare entities, ensuring on-time, within-budget delivery.

  • Conducted regular performance reviews and analyses, utilizing data-driven insights to optimize website effectiveness and guide continuous improvement efforts.

  • Provided comprehensive training and support, empowering clients to leverage website functionalities proficiently while identifying upsell and cross-sell opportunities to drive revenue growth and client expansion.

Collections Manager

Momentum Gallery 

Asheville, NC

June 2018 - December 2019

  • Management of Collections database including end user technical support, content organization, and database changes to ensure the gallery collection catalog is accurate, up-to-date and performing well.

  • Collection maintenance and cataloging including measuring, photographing, cleaning and organizing museum quality art within on-site and off-site storage facilities and online database.

  • Gallery research to provide comprehensive knowledge of individual pieces, artists, and shows for the purpose of establishing world-class curating and presentation of art at one of the largest galleries in the South-Eastern United States.

Art Consultant

Momentum Gallery 

Asheville, NC

October 2017 - June 2018

  • Maintained strong relationships with local and national arts organizations, collectors, and artists to educate, inspire, and heighten the art scene in Western North Carolina.

  • Day to day gallery maintenance including caring for art, hanging and tagging pieces and organizing events.

  • Project managed sales proposals, submissions for art fairs, research on sales opportunities, and research on artists for articles, guest exhibitions, and gallery representation.

  • Gallery database management including uploading and organizing new work into gallery database, and online art auction site, Artsy.

  • Coordinated daily office activities including answering client phone calls and emails, organizing paperwork, creating spreadsheets, and maintaining systems of office organization and cleanliness.

Collections Assistant (Volunteer)

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville, NC

January 2018 - August 2018

  • Researched and wrote curatorial justifications for artists and artworks for upcoming shows or acquisitions and deacquisitions. 

  • Examined and analyzed historical documents for the purpose of correctly archiving at the museum or donating to a relevant facility.

  • Cataloged artist documents including PR, interviews, and articles.

Education Department Intern

Asheville Art Museum

Asheville, NC

September 2017 - December 2017

  • Worked closely with the Education Department at the Asheville Art Museum to learn more about, assist with, and plan weekly art activities for preschool to middle school-aged children .

  • Coordinated with local libraries’ education departments to ensure proper implementation of art activities.

  • Developed and lead educational programs for elementary and middle school students.

Gallery Assistant Manager

Susquehanna Antique Company

Asheville, NC

May 2017 - December 2017

  • Created and maintained online databases of fine art, period frames, and antiques through the gallery website, Artsy, Etsy, eBay, and other sales forums.

  • Established a new system of order for inventory collection which included photographs, numbering systems, condition reports, prices, and associated research.

  • Promoted Public Relations through designed content.

  • Researched artists, paintings, and antiques using online research journals, auction catalogs, and contacting art historians, previous owners, and museums to ensure factual representation of the works.

  • Ran daily office tasks such as answering phones and client emails, keeping sales books and tax logs, and expense reports.

Circulation Desk Assistant

University of North Carolina Library

Asheville, NC

October 2015 - May 2017

  • Checked out books, organized stacks and maintained library databases and paperwork.

  • Located books and online resources including holds, course reserves, interlibrary loans, and electronics (cameras, projectors etc.) and assisted with general questions about campus or the library.

Technical Skills

  • Product Management: Product strategy and vision, product roadmap development, and feature prioritization

  • Project Management: Agile, Waterfall

  • UX/UI Design: Figma, human centered design thinking, prototyping and wireframing

  • User Research: User interviews, user testing, ecosystem mapping, analysis and synthesis

  • Productivity Software: Air Table, Trello, Process Street, Slack, Jira, Craft, Google Suite, Microsoft Suite, Monday

  • Data Analytics: Agency Analytics, Google Analytics, Google Data Studio, Tableau

  • SEO: Ahrefs, GT Metrix, Lighthouse, Pagespeed Insights

  • Data Management: ArtLogic, Artsy, EmBark

  • Web Design: Elementor, Square, Weebly, Wix, GoDaddy, beginner WordPress, HTML, Java, CSS, ARIA

  • CRM: Hubspot, Active Campaign, Copper, Infusionsoft

  • Digital Photography and Graphic Design: Cannon, Canva, Lightroom, Nikon, Photoshop, beginner Illustrator

  • Marketing: Content creation, social media, TAM, SAM, and SOM market research

Certifications

  • Certified CITI (Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative) researcher, a training program that teaches human subject research (2017)

  • Agile Leadership and Resilient Teams certification from Udemy (2020)

  • User Experience Design: Complete UX Fundamentals Course from Udemy (2021)

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