Dano Qualls has a diverse work experience spanning multiple roles and industries. In 2011, they co-founded WineKick, where they served as the product manager and designer, creating wine and craft beer recommendation kiosks and mobile apps. In 2015, they worked as a UX design apprentice at Fresh Tilled Soil and later joined Fidelity Investments as a UX designer and information architect. From 2017 to 2018, they were a UX analyst at Booz Allen Hamilton, involved in the rebuild of Recreation.gov. In 2018, they joined UEGroup as a UX designer, working on various projects including aerospace maintenance software and a building physical security app. In 2020, they co-founded Hectic and served as the co-founder and head of product, specializing in UX research, UX design, product management, and customer success. Dano also worked as a product/UX consultant at Kessel Run in 2020. In 2022, they founded Speechless and concurrently worked as a founder in residence at Antler. Dano is currently employed as a product manager at The Linux Foundation.
Dano Qualls began their education in 2002 at the United States Air Force Academy, where they obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in English in 2006. Dano then pursued further studies and earned an MBA with Marketing and Entrepreneurship concentrations from the Babson F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business between 2011 and 2015. In 2015, they attended Bentley University and obtained a Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Human Factors in Information Design in 2016.
In addition to their formal education, Dano Qualls has also obtained various certifications related to the field of wine. These certifications include being a Certified Sommelier from the Court of Master Sommeliers, a Certified Specialist of Wine (CSW) from the Society of Wine Educators, and holding a WSET Advanced Certification with Merit (Level 3) from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust. The specific months and years in which they obtained these certifications are not provided.
September, 2022 - present