Hazel Jennings

Hazel Jennings has a diverse work experience that spans several companies and roles.

Hazel began their career as an Editorial Manager at Fifthroom Markets, where they initially wrote product descriptions and eventually led a rebranding effort to unify seven e-commerce sites under the Fifthroom Markets brand. During their time there, they also launched and served as editor for Fifthroom Living, an online publication that drove a significant portion of the website's traffic.

From there, Hazel joined Greener Pittsburgh as a Content Strategist, where they worked for just under a year.

Hazel then moved on to Expedia Group, where they worked as a Product Writer. In this role, they developed the voice, tone, and brand style guide for Hotwire, and led content strategy for their iOS app and CarRentals.com's responsive site.

Next, Hazel joined Instagram, initially as a Content Designer and later promoted to the role of Director of Content Design. Hazel played a pivotal role in establishing Instagram's voice and building the content design team. Additionally, they were instrumental in starting Instagram's design systems team.

Following their time at Instagram, Hazel joined Zendesk as a Principal Design Architect. Hazel was one of the early members of the Design Architecture team, working to establish its place within the larger organization and teaching designers about information architecture fundamentals. Hazel also collaborated with top-level executives to reimagine the company's global navigation during a period of strategic changes.

Most recently, Hazel joined Duolingo as the Director of System Design. Their role involves creating and upholding design quality standards, frameworks, and systems that empower designers and artists to create impactful user experiences.

Overall, Hazel has a strong background in content design, product writing, and design architecture, and has made significant contributions to each company they have worked for.

Hazel Jennings attended Mercyhurst University from 2005 to 2009, where they earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Creative Writing.