We have a healthy drive to make things better.

Fathom’s super-planner, Shana knows how to get things done and keep them moving. Executing user research involves hundreds of moving parts; thankfully, Shana is happiest doing three things at once. She works behind the scenes to find people to talk to, locate (or fabricate) props and equipment, and pitch in on recording and synthesizing findings. She puts her many talents to use planning Fathom’s infamously complex team events, and when the pandemic hit she became the heartbeat of the company, keeping us connected despite the physical divide while finding ways to support local and minority-owned businesses.

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Bret brings tangible leadership to projects. From start-up to enterprise, clients depend on him for a clearheaded vision and practical direction, and say he paints an excellent picture of how all the results fit together. An alum (and ardent booster) of the University of Minnesota, Bret holds an MBA with a marketing emphasis from the University of Saint Thomas and has been building ties with marketing and technology leaders in his community for more than 25 years. He also holds the Fathom record for most miles run in a day, most races completed, and highest number of calories consumed.

Jeff is a whiz at communicating ideas simply. A curious researcher, analytical designer, and entertaining speaker, he is adept at spotting the themes that connect with audiences and getting to the point. His ability to visualize data and stories translates to involvement in a variety of projects, and he has lifted Fathom’s collective skill in this area with a willingness to spend time mentoring others. Jeff loves words and puzzles, and he thinks he’s the best bowler in the company, though supporting data are sparse.

A lot of us are good listeners (honestly, it’s kind of the job) but Kat has an ear for what’s important and the confluence of talent and empathy to draw it out. In a parallel universe she may be an outstanding therapist; in ours, we are lucky to work alongside this veteran UX researcher, information architect, and strategist who thinks deeply about her clients’ challenges and homes in on the insights that matter most. Kat holds a Master of Library and Information Science from The College of St. Catherine, and her love of taxonomies probably explains her deep knowledge of trivia.

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Greg likes connecting the dots. His idea of fun is digging into a hard problem, the kind that’s a little bit nebulous, where you have to talk to a lot of different people and figure out where they’re coming from. That’s one of the reasons he enjoys user research, though he’s also happy to collect ideas from stakeholders of all levels and perspectives. One interview, one prototype test, one whiteboard session at a time, Greg gathers perspectives in order to question assumptions, refine his view of the actual issues that need addressing, and create considerate, insightful solutions.

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Laurie Le Moine is a healthcare leader. For 20 years she’s been advising clients through the choppy waters of value-based care partnerships, care delivery redesigns, business transformation, and the creation of digital products and services. Unfazed by organizational dynamics, Laurie’s a skilled facilitator who takes genuine joy in engaging with people and helping them develop a shared view of what could be. Leading a team, she somehow manages to be endlessly adaptable as things change while remaining focused on results.

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Making complex ideas tangible is vital to getting good feedback, but the risk of drawing a picture is that your thousand words are not well-chosen. Eddie’s designs illustrate user interactions and requirements with the right detail needed to get his clients speaking the same language: “customer.” A former software developer, he now focuses on usability testing, research, and his favorite: UI design and rapid prototyping. He’s brought his sharp mind to the finer points of banking, technology, government/military, and healthcare designing web, mobile, and device experiences, with the lion’s share in the medical device space. Outside of work he explores as much of the world as possible with his family, and happily allows his wife, a travel enthusiast, to handle those details.

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Kate provides strategic leadership to Fathom Consulting and our client engagements. She brings a genuine love of learning about people and things, a collaborative low-ego style, and a belief in setting the bar high—then kicking it higher. With her M.A. in Organization Development, Change Leadership and Conflict Management, Kate never shies away from tough conversations, and she has fostered a culture of candor and trust that makes them possible. As she will remind you, “Feedback is a gift!”

Kate serves on the executive committee of the Minnesota Children’s Museum board, and is a founding member and chair of the Minnesota Women Presidents Organization’s Equity initiative, a cross-chapter collective of leaders committed to advancing equity and driving change within ourselves, our organizations, and our communities. She laughs a lot, sings even more, and is a sucker for a good chocolate chip cookie.

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Being interested in everything has made Carissa an experience strategist extraordinaire. She has collaborated with clients in banking, fintech, retail, small government, and medical devices to craft strategy with a blend of group facilitation, concepting, and mixed-methods research. Along the way she has become interested in all sorts of fun and useful things, like voice interfaces, accessibility, and service design. Carissa’s other pursuits are just as diverse: she's a maker who creates with laser and ceramic, an enthusiastic reader, a traveler and lover of forests, and a trusted friend to her pit bull, Frank.

Julie helps her clients do the right thing. She is a trusted confidant for her partners when the stakes are high. Drawing upon her work with providers, carriers, patients, and tech companies (not to mention a master’s degree in healthcare administration from the Carlson School of Management), Julie brings clarity to confusing concepts and makes healthcare a better place by ensuring that decisions not only make business sense but do right by all the people who will be affected.

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The best digital products have a balanced interactive strategy. Or so says Craig, that guy with the background that includes digital product management, software development, digital media, and interactive marketing, so maybe we should listen to him. Behind that unassuming smile, Craig has a genuine enthusiasm for technology, a career built on helping organizations find consensus, and a fixation on iterating to nudge the current state that much closer to the vision. Also, dad jokes. So many dad jokes.

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“We should do this!” If there’s a good idea on the table, Cherise is already out of her chair, but the key word is “we.” Her natural connections with people and collaborative style are her superpowers in helping others recognize and develop their potential and in Getting. Things. Done. Throw in a vast reserve of energy, and (obviously) she’s a born entrepreneur, having run both her own HR consultancy and a health-and-wellness startup. Across everything she does, Cherise loves to have fun, and her door is open, both literally and symbolically, for anyone who just wants to share a laugh.

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Waist-deep in the weeds is Elizabeth’s happy place. An MBA, an analytical brain, and a commitment to making technology work for humans makes her the hub of her projects—she talks to business people, engineers, and designers in their own languages as she builds a detailed plan and then manages execution against it. She’s a superfan of Excel, and also of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it’s probably best for everyone that the two will never face off for a championship ring.

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“Can’t this be better?” A natural optimizer, that’s the question Lynsey brings to all her work—from client challenges like detangling a complex app, streamlining a customer experience, or simplifying a wonky process, to personal pursuits like renovating her mid-century modern home or perfecting the classic cocktail. What keeps her motivated (along with the list-making, personal workflow-tuning, and the copy-editing everyone asks her to do) is the chance to find the pearl in the oyster—and then polishing it until it shines. Clients recognize Lynsey for her sense of fun and (sometimes) the backdrop provided by her Airstream trailer, the comfy getaway where she and her husband make their summer weekends just a little better.

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PaJai enjoys stretching her brain to identify patterns and solve problems. She has a terrific sense of arrangement and balance that she brings to her UI designs, and her clear, intentional thinking shows up in other creative outlets, such as event decorating, beauty, and cooking. In collaborations she’s able to balance her own sensibilities with the preferences of teammates and the goals of the project, emerging with a vision that builds consensus. PaJai has a B.A. in Graphic Design from the University of St. Catherine.

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Ben loves a meaty project that lets him use all his research tools. (We’re pretty sure his workshop has a pegboard with the painted outlines of contextual inquiry, surveys, focus groups, and the rest of his trusty methods.) As much as he enjoys the data collection, though, it’s always in service to answering important questions: How to position a new offering? Features that will excite customers? What needs to be in place to deliver a superior experience? Ben enjoys working alongside his clients to build a shared perspective and define the way forward.

You’d think we’d be used to complexity, given the healthcare work, but we’re still all very happy that Cindy is managing our finances. “There is no wiggle room,” she says—you have to fall in love with the laws of taxation, accounting, and mathematics, and Cindy has kept Fathom on an even keel through business transitions and pandemic turbulence on top of the more predictable cycles of client services. Clients and colleagues know her as a responsive partner as she listens, always, for an opportunity to make someone’s life easier, and the office dogs know her as the lovely aunt who will spoil them when they visit.

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