About.
INSPIRING INNOVATION.
I used to make parachutes out of square sheets of paper towel. Leaning over the banister of the second-story porch in my childhood friend’s backyard, braced for the descent, I held my breath, exhaled, and . . .
dropped the smallest Star Wars action figure I could find, dangling from suspension lines made of thread, as it glided to the grass below.
I’ve always loved creating and innovating. When I wasn’t in school, I spent my free time experimenting – using tin cans, buttons, and string to build a neighborhood phone network, creating new civilizations with Legos, synthesizing laser blast sounds using a Slinky while recording a sci-fi drama I wrote with my childhood friend, Freddie, and modifying metal coat hangers to extend the range of our walkie-talkies. In college, I continued to innovate as I pursued a career in journalism, publishing several hundred photos and articles, covering anything from local politics to the Olympics, producing multimedia for websites, and managing teams for various media companies. These experiences led me to further challenge my imagination as I founded a social media network for outdoor travelers called Uncharted and taught workshops for Columbia University.
Then the University of Maryland gave me an incredible opportunity to take my imagination, talents, and skills to a new level with its master program in technology entrepreneurship. Graduate school opened a whole new world for me as I suddenly realized how I could use everything I had learned up to that point to create, lead, and manage innovative endeavors for startups, educational institutions, and established corporate ventures. And while U of M taught me the fundamentals of business modeling, corporate finance, business law, marketing, and innovation management strategy, the greatest value came from learning how to use design thinking, a human-centered approach that applies concept development, storytelling, prototyping, and experimentation to empathize with people and transform ideas into viable solutions that deliver value and solve real problems.
So whether I’m developing a new website, producing persuasive storytelling through written and visual communication, envisioning a better user-experience, designing curriculum, conducting market research, formulating a business strategy, or working with teams to design better ways to lead, to create, to manage, to innovate, and to motivate, I’m always excited about new challenges where I can work with others to find solutions that lead to improving experiences and creating value that makes a difference.
My Work.
DESIGNING SOLUTIONS.
Testimonials.
PUTTING PEOPLE FIRST.
I’ve worked with some wonderful people across various industries, and we’ve done some incredible things. I believe that the most important results from our efforts are the many strong personal connections that we’ve developed, the foundation for future collaboration and innovation.
“Alan Murray is the consummate professional: his ingenuity is impeccable; his passion is insatiable, and his persistence is invigorating. Having worked with Alan across a wide variety of industries and contexts, I can attest to his remarkable character, inclusive approach, and entrepreneurial spirit. He is an incredible asset to the team, a creative force to the company, and a selfless mentor to the student. I highly recommend him for whatever position or project is next in his vast repertoire of endeavors.”
Charles Geraci – Vice President, Bank of America
“I had the privilege of working with Alan when we were graduate students in the technology entrepreneurship program at the University of Maryland. We’ve exchanged many ideas and aside from Alan’s skills, what I appreciate most about him is that he is always willing to make time to help you out or offer a listening ear. He is a gifted entrepreneur with a rare combination of patience, empathy, and research skills. He is a valuable asset to any team or project.”
Peter van Schaik – Web Developer
“Alan is an exceptionally talented leader. He knows where to put people, what their talents are even when it is not obvious. Frugality while outputting top quality work is a normal day for Alan. When working with Alan you can tell him what’s really on your mind. Team and fiscal management are strong points of his. He is very good at balancing between patience and requiring results now. One feels compelled to give all one can while working with him as he will always work harder, longer, and smarter. In short Alan is a true visionary who can take a seemingly average group of people and inspire them to perform extraordinary things.”
John Milligan – Senior Board Member, Uncharted
“Alan is a compassionate, energetic and visionary leader who works triple-time to push his employees to produce excellent things — be they photos, copy or web pages. He’s skilled at managing people and does so with compassion, honesty and forthrightness. Alan epitomizes the open door that is fodder for jokes at most other companies. He recognizes skills in people that those people don’t perhaps recognize, and he works in many ways to help those people pull those skills to the surface.”
Brian Davidson – Writer/Editor at Northwind, Inc.