Dakota M. Churchill

Context

Vetcove's PIMS migration team needed to dramatically increase throughput to support rapid business growth. The launch process was manual, fragmented across 6+ tracking systems, and averaging ~7 hours per batch of 10 clinics — with no documented processes and no PM infrastructure in place.

My Role

Sole Technical PM and data validation owner across all clinic launches. Owned go/no-go decisions, cross-team coordination across Engineering, CX, Onboarding, an external data conversion partner, and 3 corporate partner groups — plus the full PM infrastructure build-out from scratch.

Approach

Designed end-to-end onboarding automation using Google Apps Script, consolidated 6+ tracking systems into a single unified infrastructure, and built a 50+ page PM SOP backed by 90+ instructional documents. Transformed Engineering partnership from reactive escalation into structured root-cause scoping, offloading 3 recurring Engineering processes entirely.

Outcomes

• 71% reduction in onboarding time (from ~7 hrs to under 2 hrs per 10 clinics)
• 164+ clinic launches delivered with zero documented PM-attributed failures
• 800+ QA tickets triaged across 5+ teams; ~67% resolved independently
• Weekly throughput scaled from 1 to 10–17 launches
• New PMs contributing independently within ~1 month of start

Strategic Complexity

Navigated ambiguity between vendor exports, admin misconfigurations, and product defects while maintaining alignment across 3 corporate partner groups. Built root-cause frameworks that let engineering focus on true defects rather than operational noise.

Context

ENGEO is a multi-office geotechnical and civil engineering firm operating across Southern California. The team faced challenges with software fragmentation, manual workflows, and inconsistent technology adoption across three offices.

My Role

Project Manager and Staff Geologist managing 5–10 concurrent projects, owning proposals, cost estimates, client relationships, vendor coordination, RFPs, and deliverable quality under my direct supervision.

Approach

Championed and led procurement and integration of Metashape photogrammetry software, designed training programs for all 3 SoCal offices, and expanded SharePoint to standardize document management firm-wide. Maintained rigorous project tracking to ensure on-time, on-budget delivery across all client engagements.

Outcomes

• 300+ hours saved within the software's first year of implementation
• 400% increase in Metashape adoption across offices
• 85% project award rate across 81 geotechnical and civil engineering projects
• 100% client retention under direct supervision
• SharePoint standardized across all 3 SoCal offices

Strategic Complexity

Balanced concurrent project delivery with change management for new tooling — managing stakeholder resistance to software adoption while demonstrating measurable ROI within year one and maintaining zero missed client deadlines.

Context

The USGS commissioned federally funded investigations into Yellowstone National Park's hydrothermal systems. The research required coordinating scientists, park employees, and labs across 7 U.S. institutions with distributed timelines, publication requirements, and federal reporting obligations.

My Role

Lead Research Geologist and program coordinator across two USGS divisions (GMEG & CVO). Owned fieldwork logistics, cross-institutional alignment, data management, and scientific publication end-to-end.

Approach

Established multi-institution coordination workflows, developed comprehensive ArcGIS technical documentation, and trained 2 employees to full software proficiency within 3 months. Translated complex scientific findings for both specialist audiences and the general public through 3 online articles.

Outcomes

• 3 peer-reviewed papers published (Journal of Volcanology & Geothermal Research; Geophysical Research Letters)
• 3 online databases and 6 conference abstracts published
• 7 institutions aligned across federal and academic partners
• Research presented to 25,000+ attendees at international conferences
• 2 employees trained to ArcGIS proficiency within 3 months

Strategic Complexity

Managed competing institutional timelines and publication priorities across federal and academic organizations with no common project management infrastructure — building alignment through direct relationship management and clear communication protocols.