Really, it's about the people. Kara DeFrias works at the intersection of technology and experience design, and can be found speaking internationally on the human aspects of tech and UX.
Kara's worked in a number of industries. It's not that she gets bored, she just wants to try everything. #ItsABigWorld
GOVERNMENT
Kara served as Director of Experience Design for Vice President Joe Biden at the White House. Prior to that she was Senior Advisor at 18F, where she provided counsel to the Executive Director and focused on org culture. As part of the inaugural class of 18 Presidential Innovation Fellows, Kara served as Entrepreneur-in-Residence, reimagining the relationship between the government and the people from a technology perspective.
ENTERTAINMENT
Kara's first gig was the Oscars, where both her theatre degree and Jersey driving skills came in handy in Los Angeles. She went on to work on the Emmys, an NBC/DreamWorks pilot, and at the Geffen Playhouse. (She also appeared — most notably, or forgettably, depending on your point of view — on an episode of Glee.) After founding TEDxIntuit, she's gone on to executive produce and direct numerous TEDx events.
PROfessional SPORTS
From working on the Women's World Cup press operations team to US Soccer game operations to production of the Super Bowl Halftime Show, if there's a large, complex live event with 1,000 moving parts, you can bet Kara will be there in the center of it all directing traffic. Bonus points for hitting all the broadcast commercial cues. Fun fact: As Community Relations Manager for San Diego's pro soccer team, she wore the mascot costume. Once.
PORTFOLIO
The product manager’s guide to the care and feeding of humans
We have red, yellow, and green color-coded milestones that let us know project progress and what level of panic we should be in. But what about the wellness of the team? Let’s talk about the care + feeding of the humans.
What to do when your friend gets cancer
Awhile back a friend tweeted, "Say a young, vivacious person you adored just found out he had cancer. What’s a not-stressful-for-him way to help out? Is there one?” Most folks don’t know what to do when they get terrible news like this, but they know they want to help.
Rainy with a Chance of Baby
It's a surprisingly little known fact: 15% of couples are infertile, and 25-40% of detected pregnancies are miscarried. But no one talks about these things. Until now. At TEDxComo, three-time cancer survivor Kara DeFrias shares her story of love, loss, and the struggles that go along with trying to conceive a child.