Photo credit: Jono Rourke
I'm Rena - born in Kharkov, Ukraine, raised in New Jersey, USA, and came of age in London, UK: this bopping around the world has defined how I understand and operate in the world.
I like to think about and work on the big problems facing the world. I want to use design thinking to help NGOs and governments build stronger relationships with people than brands have. I want to help inspire action and drive improvements in the current order - whether it's breaking the vicious cycle that leads to rampant inequality or writing about feminism, identity politics, and peoples' lived experiences.
I have been a user experience researcher for several startups in Silicon Valley and in New York. I have been a market researcher and brand strategist. Before that, I was a social scientist studying International Studies and Economics (BA) at the Johns Hopkins University, and then Comparative Political Economy (MSc) at the London School of Economics.
I currently reside in Brooklyn, NY, travel the world at any chance, and am looking for opportunities to use my education and experience to do some good in the world.
