What is Betsy Cohen All About?
“When I put people first, results follow.”
The Bio
Betsy has worked on the creative side of technology for more than 20 years, and is most effective when utilizing her intuition and empathy to help others. She is happiest when creating user journeys and story maps, or developing high performing teams built on trust, respect, and agile principles.
Betsy Cohen, founder and principal web strategist for Positive Element, is a human-centered design advocate and empath who loves building beautiful, useful things.
Betsy lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with her husband and three children, and enjoys such analog activities as reading, yoga, and taekwondo.
Personal Interests
I’m a curious person, so my interests are frequently expanding and changing. At this time, I spend my leisure time thus:
- Reading
- Listening to Podcasts & Audiobooks
- Taekwondo (Working towards my orange belt)
- Duolingo (Working towards a 200-day streak)
- Charades & Pictionary with my fam
- Practicing Stoicism
- Yoga & Meditation
Professional Accomplishments
Betsy Cohen is an accomplished and results-oriented web design and product management professional highly regarded for establishing partnerships, generating revenue, and creating innovative solutions to complex business problems.
- Betsy started in the industry developing SEO strategies in the early days of the new Millenium.
- Over the years she expanded into roles in Project Management and User Experience design, consulting on software projects for clients such as Cold Stone Creamery, The Apollo Group, Knight Transportation, The Little Gym International, and various Arizona State Government agencies.
- As VP of Product for FanSided Betsy became known for her dedication as a leader and her proven history of building and motivating high-performing teams.
- At FanSided, Meredith Corporation and Minute Media, she demonstrated a keen eye for detail with an ability to prioritize and manage multiple complex projects simultaneously.
- Betsy leverages strong communication skills to foster long-lasting relationships with colleagues, clients, and stakeholders alike.
Professional Passions
- Human-Centered Design
- Customer & User Experience
- Team Organization and Leadership
- Process Improvement
- The Agile Mindset
- Publishing & Content Management
- Product Management
- Web and Application Development
Brands that I’ve Had the Privilege of Working With
Brands that I’ve Had the Privilege of Working With
Testimonials
The Resume of Betsy Cohen
Select Highlights
- Possesses advanced skills in roadmapping and product design for custom web and mobile applications, large-scale content management and front-end websites and infrastructure, having supported approximately 50 million unique users each month.
- Crafted custom design and UX solutions for clients that have included Avnet, The Little Gym International, The Hopi Tribe, best-selling authors, non-profit organizations, and local businesses.
- Demonstrated outstanding team leadership in recruiting and developing a high-performing agile team.
- Recognized for delivering communications initiatives that emphasize collaboration and transparency across teams and cities.
Professional Experience
DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT DELIVERY | HireRising, Phoenix, AZ, Sep 2021 – Present
- Hired to guide and deliver on a new IT Consulting practice within an IT staffing firm.
- Developed all facets of business operations including go-to-market strategy, sales, and delivery processes
FOUNDER, PRINCIPAL WEB STRATEGIST | Positive Element and RadiateWP, Phoenix, AZ, Jan 2008 – Dec 2016, May 2021 – Present
- Championed a team offering custom branding, UX, web design and application development to local and enterprise organizations.
- Led Sales, Strategy, Account Management and Creative Direction, and managed a team of FTEs, contractors and vendors.
- Clients inc. Avnet, The Little Gym International, The Hopi Tribe, best-selling authors, non-profit organizations, and AZ state agencies.
- Served as Founder of RadiateWP to offer a comprehensive support plan to WordPress clients; RadiateWP business was sold in 2016.
VP OF PRODUCT | FanSided, a Minute Media Brand, Scottsdale, AZ, Sep 2017 – May 2021
- Demonstrated outstanding team leadership in conjunction with the recruiting and building of a high-performing agile team with an introspective, iterative, and trust-based culture.
- Led the integration of technology and people following the acquisition by Minute Media.
- Delivered an in-depth Gap Analysis of Minute Media’s content management system, and detailed plan for the migration of 250+ websites.
- Responsible for Portfolio Product Roadmaps, user research, market research, strategy and stakeholder communication for all products.
PRODUCT MANAGER | FanSided Inc., Scottsdale, AZ, Aug 2016 – Sep 2017
- Spearheaded design and development of a custom CMS, 300+ front-end websites, 70+ mobile apps, and contributor operations systems
- Opened lines of communication between departments and offices, resulting in stronger collaboration and increased transparency.
- Crafted and executed process improvements in departments under my direction: Engineering, Product, Design and Customer Support.
USER EXPERIENCE DESIGNER & CONSULTANT | Business & Decision, Scottsdale, AZ, Oct 2007 – Sep 2012
- Delivered design and UX solutions for an international consulting firm and major supplier of enterprise information management.
- Functioned as a consultant for B&D clients on .NET web apps, SharePoint portals, and public-facing websites.
- Designed for leading organizations including Knight Transportation, Rural Metro Corp., First Things First, and Arizona Corp. Commission.
Additional Experience
MANAGING EDITOR, Ethix Media L.L.C, Scottsdale, AZ, Mar 2005 – Oct 2007
PROJECT MANAGER, Intrasight Technology Services, Phoenix, AZ, Jul 2000 – Aug 2004
SEO MARKETER & WEB DESIGNER, iCrossing, Scottsdale, AZ, May 1999 – Jul 2000
FREELANCE WEB & GRAPHIC DESIGNER, Scottsdale, AZ, Jan 1999 – Dec 2007
Education & Credentials
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE | George Washington University, Washington, DC
Graduation Honors:
- Summa Cum Laude
- Inducted to Phi Beta Kappa