🌟 Get to Know Me
Hi, I'm Shala. I created this site so you could get to know the person behind the bullet points and job titles.
I’m a Product Manager, systems thinker, and people-first problem solver who believes great technology should make life easier, more human, and more equitable. I love building products people genuinely want to use—not because they’re flashy, but because they help users make meaningful progress. With over a decade of experience and a master’s in Applied Information Technology (Information Systems Management), I bring both technical depth and human-centered design to every project.
I’m also nearing completion of my second master’s degree—an MBA with a Technology Management Certificate at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. During the program, I’ve held leadership roles as Cohort Track Representative, Chief Professional Development Officer, and Capstone Project Leader.
This summer, I’m relocating to the San Francisco Bay Area and actively exploring roles where I can help create intuitive, scalable, and impactful solutions.
🚀 What I Bring
With 10 years of experience, I’ve launched internal platforms that support tens of thousands of users across higher ed and public sector organizations. These environments taught me to design around real constraints, uncover hidden pain points, and create tools that work for people—not just processes.
I use the Jobs to Be Done mindset to dig beneath surface requests and understand the real “why” behind user needs. I ask: What are users hiring this product to do? What progress are they trying to make? Then I design tools that help them get there—more easily, more clearly, and more confidently.
👩💻 Why I got into Product Management
I didn’t start in tech. I started in business, ran into inefficient processes, and taught myself to code so I could fix them. One of my earliest wins? Taking a 30-hour weekly bookkeeping process down to just 2 hours. That one experience unlocked something big in me—I realized I love turning friction into flow.
So I learned front-end and back-end development. But what I love even more than building is zooming out—connecting tech to purpose, users to progress, and roadmaps to real-world impact. I’m not just here to launch features. I’m here to ask the right questions, design with empathy, and build products that get hired again and again.
🛠️ How I Work
I thrive on 0→1 challenges. I take ambiguity, turn it into clarity, and build systems from scratch that make life simpler for the people behind the process. Some of my proudest product work has come from spotting the real job behind the ask—what users are really trying to achieve, even if they can’t fully articulate it. That’s where I bring clarity, and where great design begins.
My projects have spanned access control tools, tuition platforms, AI pilots, and workflow automation across enterprise systems. These weren’t product upgrades—they were new, end-to-end solutions shaped around real user jobs. I listen closely, translate complexity into action, and build systems that feel intuitive—because they’re aligned with the outcomes users actually want.
If it’s messy, I want to fix it.
If it’s confusing, I want to clarify it.
If it doesn’t exist yet… I want to build it.
💡 My Product Philosophy
Great products don’t start with features—they start with people. I believe every tool we create should help someone move forward in their day, their job, or their life. That’s what progress means to me.
I care about strategy, but I also care about the human behind the use case. That’s where the job to be done lives—and where good design starts. I bring curiosity, clarity, and cross-functional collaboration into every room I enter—whether it’s a whiteboard session, stakeholder review, or 1-on-1 user interview.
🧭 Core Values
🌍 Empathy-first communication
🧠 Experimental & curiosity-driven learning
⚖️ Ethics & inclusive design
🔁 Systems thinking & scalability
🎯 Strategic focus with user obsession
🌱 The Journey Behind the Ambition
I love learning! While working full-time at USMO, I’ve earned two master’s degrees—including my current MBA—and fill the rest of my time with podcasts, YouTube deep dives, and books (check out my favorites!). I’m always absorbing, always evolving.
I love working with people. Collaboration energizes me. I'm a natural cheerleader—literally (yes, I was one in high school)—and I bring that spirit to my teams. I help others feel seen, supported, and ready to contribute their best.
I believe in humility. I know what I don’t know—and I know there’s more I’ve yet to even realize. I ask thoughtful questions, listen actively, and focus on what’s right over being right.
Early in life, I played it safe. As a first-generation college student and the youngest of four, I didn’t always see people like me aiming big. I skipped applying to certain schools—not because I couldn’t, but because I didn’t believe I could. That’s changed. Today, I hold graduate degrees from the very universities I once thought were out of reach. I've built products for local businesses, developed systems used by thousands, and led major cross-functional initiatives—all while pursuing my education and growing my career.
That journey redefined how I see myself. I no longer measure success by where I started, but by how far I’m willing to go. I'm done underselling myself. I speak my goals out loud. I aim higher—not to prove anything to others, but to honor the potential I’ve always had.
I'm just getting started.
👋 Thanks for Being Here
If you’ve made it this far—thank you. I hope something resonated. Feel free to explore more, and reach out if you’d like to connect.