Grandma Hattie used Pittsburgh’s food and tourism industry as a tool for embodied learning, showing me that the foundation of hospitality is built on empathy, belonging, and intentional world-building.
As a nursing director and with a passion for giving back that lasted well into her 90s, Aunt Anne demonstrated care and purposeful communication as tactics for building trusting relationships.
Wynn & Noble is an extension of their legacies, and the values I’ve inherited are the foundation of everything that follows.
Hattie Wynn and Anna Noble – my grandmother and great-aunt – believed in nurturing socially intelligent children with a healthy regard for self.
Deeper Dive
About
Working at the intersection of food, arts & culture, and tourism, I bring more than a decade of experience building capacity and leading innovative, strategic initiatives that expand and diversify communities across workplaces, independent film and media, and traveler segments.
In 2022, I was among the leaders selected for the LA Times list of DEIA Visionaries, which highlights the most prominent game changers and thought leaders in the business world today.
As a proud supporter of bold voices and a developer of new audiences, I’ve served as a 3x judge for the James Beard Foundation Media Awards and as a board member of various cultural nonprofits. My writing has appeared in Food & Beverage Insider, The Infatuation, and several tourism publications.
Approach
My practice is grounded in embodied knowledge that comes from years of traveling, eating, and moving through the world, and refined through over a decade of experience leading engagement initiatives that turn understanding into strategy.
It’s through this context that I learned the most overlooked aspect of design is the gap between our current location and the desired destination. That gap is where communication breaks down, competing goals take hold, and the audiences we most want to reach get lost.
Using an intersectional, inclusive lens, I help organizations examine the distance and build programmatic pathways to belonging and impact.
Awards, etc.
2022 LA Times Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Visionary
WSET Level 2 Wine Certified, passed with distinction
James Beard Foundation Media Awards Juror, 2023 - 2025
2025 ANA Multicultural & Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards Juror
2026 Black Women in Food Awards Juror
Bylines:
“The Best Restaurants in Pittsburgh,” The Infatuation
“Toward a sustainable food system: How CPG and ingredient companies are driving innovation, impact,” Food & Beverage Insider
“Pittsburgh Exhibits Personify the Black Travel Experience,” VisitPITTSBURGH Blog