Alissa is a dynamic leader, speaker, and coach committed to elevating design teams around the world.
She is a Senior Director at Autodesk, where she leads the global Construction User Experience (UX) organization—over 70 designers, researchers, and content strategists working at the intersection of design, business, and technology. Her leadership spans platform transformation, AI-driven user experiences, and the creation of scalable systems that support long-term innovation and customer value. She also chaired Autodesk’s Design Leadership Council, partnering with division leaders to to further design initiatives company-wide, and served on the Diversity & Belonging Council to help foster an inclusive, trust-based culture.
Alissa brings deep experience guiding teams through critical inflection points—from startup hypergrowth to enterprise reinvention. At PlanGrid, she served as Director of UX, scaling the team 5x and helping lead the company through its $900M acquisition by Autodesk. Earlier in her career, she led design at Brigade, civic tech startup, and served as Head of Design for Intuit’s Payroll division, where she shaped UX strategy across 15+ product lines.
In addition to her organizational leadership, Alissa is a certified executive coach and trusted advisor to emerging and established design leaders. She supports clients as they navigate growth, increase their influence, manage complex team dynamics, and align their careers with personal values. She also advises early-stage founders through her work with Designer Fund.
Alissa regularly speaks at industry and design conferences on topics such as UX leadership, customer-centered innovation, facilitation, and leading through change. She holds advanced degrees in Human-Computer Interaction and Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University, and finds balance in trail running, community volunteering, and creative pursuits.