Hi, my name is Janae. Welcome!

I turn ambiguity into structure: product functions, roadmaps, research practices, and the clear thinking that makes them work. 8+ years across FinTech, EdTech, and banking, building product capability where none existed.

Portland, Maine · Product Management, Digital Experience VP at Bangor Savings Bank

I’m great at…

building product function and muscle

Operating models, intake and decision checkpoints, and artifacts that an org, a team, or a person can continuously come back to.

bringing users and tested assumptions into decisions

Research, journey mapping, usability testing, accessibility audits, and just one level deeper of analysis that surfaces what's invisible from the inside.

thinking it through together

Working sessions where we bring the mess and we leave with a clear narrative, plan, or priority list. Our work is ambiguous and complex and messy; let’s jump into it!

Selected work

Where I built structure in ambiguity

Bangor Savings Bank · VP, Product · 2026–present

Moved a product management team from vendor management and tech administration to go/no-go decisions, user research, and journey mapping. Coached three product managers with no prior product experience and built the artifact suite to enable autonomous problem solving and roadmapping.
Introduced a digital banking strategy and prioritization framework, and supported adding the Bank's first problem-validation checkpoint to project intake.
Noodle · UX Associate Director · 2023–2026

Built the company's first UX audit for 60+ university program microsites. Scores rose 18% on average, and WCAG 2.2 accessibility compliance improved 80% across 20+ sites. Also led 10+ custom research projects for universities.
Noodle · Product Manager · 2022-2023

Delivered the first university program management SaaS product for Noodle, replacing manual data entry from Google Sheets with a standardized database. Cut data errors by 50%. Hired and partnered with a new UX team to set up governance.

Earlier: Product management at WEX (2018–2022), where I managed B2B financial apps for 400,000+ users and 4M invoices a year, including an in-house hotel booking experience that drove 20,000+ conversions.

See my full resume

Interests and Values

Public Good

At the heart of what I do, I want to spread good. If it’s really listening during user interviews, deeply considering accessibility, or critically thinking about possible impacts of change, I aim to look out for others. It’s where I find value, purpose, and meaning.

Interest: Urban Systems

My mind was opened with Charles Montgomery’s “Happy City” and my life hasn’t been the same since. I am fascinated by all the ways cities operate: how they grow, emerge, and act as their own organisms— ones that so powerfully impact our day-to-day lives and happiness. It’s the passion that started me on my Complex Systems journey!

Thoughtful Growth: Transparent Success and Transparent Failure

What are we intending to grow toward? What is the mission and what does success tangibly look like? Can it happen from the top or must it grow organically over time to utilize emergent properties?

Growth for growth’s sake should be examined as it often comes at unexpected (or ignored) costs.

Interdisciplinary Thinking

The problems we face today are complex and require deep thinking utilizing all the types of knowledge and perspectives we have at our disposal. It’s integral to stay curious and unbounded by the way things are to find sustainable and successful paths forward. Plus, it’s more fun!

It’s why I’m drawn toward being a product manager: I get to wear many hats, think about problems from several perspectives, and work across teams who think so differently.

Web and Tech Interactions

As much as I love thinking about big problems in big ways, my interests usually boil down to how people interact with technology. I’m fascinated by the possibility for good (how might public services be utilized more if it was just easier?) and the psychology behind communicating meaning via a screen or otherwise.