Chris Velazquez
Product Design + Business Strategy
Richmond, Virginia · MBA Candidate, Longwood University
Ten years in product design, recently in energy infrastructure.
- Experience
- 10+ yrs
- Products shipped
- 30+
- Regulated domains
- 10+ yrs
- Credentials
- 6
About
I'm Chris, a product designer based in Richmond, VA. I've worked across energy, insurance, and education. Now I'm finishing an MBA and designing grid management systems.
More about ChrisIn-depth case studies
PrivateDetailed research, systems thinking, and outcomes—shared privately.
Unlock case studyExperience
01 — 05
Sr. Product Designer
Simple Thread · Full-time
Sep 2024 — Present · Richmond, VA
Designing internal operations software for the teams that plan, manage, and audit energy infrastructure.
- Design mission-critical systems through deep consultation with engineering teams and end-users.
- Build financial controls and audit workflows for regulated infrastructure operations.
- Shift the team toward code-based prototyping through AI leadership training.
Sr. Product Designer
Pearl · Full-time
Oct 2023 — Sep 2024 · Richmond, VA
Research, mobile tools, and data storytelling for education.
- Designed a Figma design system with token and variable parity to a Tailwind CSS codebase, increasing development velocity.
- Directed research planning and stakeholder interviews to transform educational data into compelling impact stories.
- Designed an accessible instructor companion app and led strategy for an education research platform.
Sr. Product Designer
Clearcover · Full-time
Oct 2021 — Sep 2023 · Richmond, VA
Internal insurance management and policy systems.
- Established a two-year product runway with an insurance management system that reduced strategy authoring from six months to one.
- Championed monthly UX improvements to help support staff service time-sensitive financial records more effectively.
- Designed, researched, and tested across four technical product teams to ensure consistent, high-quality workflows.
Founding Product Designer
RTS Labs · Consultancy
Mar 2017 — Oct 2021 · Richmond, VA
Built the first UX/UI practice and shipped 30+ products.
- Built the company’s UX/UI practice from the ground up and scaled the team to four full-time designers.
- Institutionalized discovery, design, and research processes that contributed to several multi-million dollar contracts.
- Shipped over 30 products across finance, education, and energy as a lead consultant.
Web Designer & Frontend Developer
ICF International
Jul 2015 to Mar 2017 · Richmond, VA
Government services. Designed marketing sites and digital experiences that helped the public find and use government services. Built the front end in HTML/CSS.
Education & Certifications
Stacking formal business, leadership, and AI training on top of 10+ years of product design.
MBA, Longwood University (Expected December 2026)
Master of Business Administration
AI Strategy & Governance
University of Pennsylvania
People Management Essentials
Google Education
Generative AI Leadership
Google Education
UX Strategy & Management
Interaction Design Foundation
B.S., Converged Media, James Madison University, School of Media Arts & Design (2015)
Undergraduate degree
Get in touch
If you need a designer who can turn complex business processes into products your team can ship and people trust, let's talk. I work in product, strategy, design, and AI-informed UX.