Twenty years designing software that matters — from early mobile, through agency work spanning Fortune 500 brands, to embedded design leadership at one of the country's largest restaurant companies. I build cultures first, then systems.
I believe the best products come from teams who feel safe to challenge assumptions, and I've spent my career creating the conditions for that to happen. I bring a Cultural Anthropology lens to every problem: deep curiosity about human behavior, a bias toward field research, and a conviction that craft and strategy are not opposites.
angela.terrell@gmail.com
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(404) 808-6480
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Experience
Group Director of Design
Stellar Elements/Amdocs Studio
2020 – Present
Remote & Atlanta, GA
Design leader and strategic design partner, leading a multi-vendor design ecosystem, and a portfolio of programs spanning customer-facing digital products, internal tooling, and foundational design infrastructure.
- Built and scaled an embedded design organization at key client — recruiting, hiring, and developing designers across customer experience, commerce, and enterprise programs.
- Bridged the organizational gap between vendor and in-house teams, operating with the authority and accountability of an internal design leader.
- Led design system strategy and governance for enterprise-wide design system, adopted across 48 teams. Established contribution models, design token architecture, and cross-functional adoption programs that dramatically reduced time-to-production.
- Orchestrated a multi-vendor design ecosystem across five concurrent programs — setting design direction, resolving cross-team dependencies, and maintaining quality and coherence at scale.
- Directed the redesign of next-generation POS and display systems — leading in-field user research, creative direction, and delivery in a large-scale software development program.
Head of Design
Big Nerd Ranch
2015 - 2020
Atlanta, GA
Led the design practice through a period of significant growth and acquisition, establishing design as a revenue-generating capability and strategic differentiator.
- Grew annual design team revenue from $300K to over $1.5M by elevating the practice from execution-focused to strategy-led and building a team capable of owning full product lifecycles.
- Led design and product direction for Peloton's proprietary music licensing platform — replacing Spotify with a native iOS/Mac app that enabled instructors to curate by BPM, plan class segments, and route only licensed music to production. Delivered MVP in 6 months; scaled to support 460M workouts in 2021 across 11 fitness types and 2M licensed songs.
- Partnered with clients including Apple, GE, and Ford — leading design teams through complex, multi-platform product challenges with high standards for craft and cross-functional execution.
Lead Product Designer
Big Nerd Ranch
2014 - 2015
Atlanta, GA
- Specialized in iOS and Android mobile design working with startups and Fortune 500 brands.
- Created and led design curriculum for bootcamps and corporate training programs. Conference speaker at SxSW, IxDA, QConSF, and amUX.
Lead Innovation Designer
Engauge/Moxie
2008 - 2014
Atlanta, GA
- Lead innovation designer at the forefront of native mobile and emerging technologies, partnering with Chick-fil-A, Martha Stewart, IHG, Nationwide, and Home Depot to define digital product strategy before best practices existed.
Skills
Strategic & Creative Oversight
- Creative Strategy Development
- Experience Driven Innovation
- Creative Direction Oversight
- Brand Alignment
Communication & Collaboration
- Cross-Functional Team Leadership
- Client Relationship Management
- Stakeholder Communication
- Team Topologies
Leadership
- Budget Management & Forecasting
- Timeline Development & Execution
- Vendor & Contract Negotiation
- Delivery & Production Management
- People Growth & Development
Education
University of Wisconsin, Madison
Bachelor of Arts, Cultural Anthropology and Gender Studies
Recommendations:
“Angie was my manager and design leader at Stellar Elements. As soon as I met her, I knew I wanted to work on whatever team she was leading — Angie is incredibly kind, knowledgeable, and caring for everyone on her team. She sees everyone as people first, and always made sure we took care of ourselves above all. ”
Alana Matos, Design Leader
“Angie is a forward-thinking, customer-centric, and business-minded professional. Angie's design approach consistently prioritizes the needs and desires of customers while aligning perfectly with business objectives.”
Holly Avila, Marketing ExecutiveSpeaking Engagements:
AI & Customer Experience - QSR Evolution, 2023
Animating the Interface Workshop - SxSW, 2016
Conversational Interfaces - QCon SF, 2016
Interaction Design Principles - IxDA, 2016
The Maker Movement - SxSW, 2014