About Mike Franke

I've been making
complex things feel
simple since I picked
up a guitar.

Took me years to figure out the best players know what NOT to play. The easier it sounds, the harder it was to get there. I've been applying that idea to enterprise software for twenty years.

Currently UX Manager & AI Strategy · Red Hat
Based in Raleigh-Durham, NC
Focused on AI Strategy · Design Leadership · Org Change
Let's Talk → Resume ↓
Mike Franke performing live on stage
At a glance
RH
Red Hat AI Excellence Award 2025
Product Engineering
◈
Company-Wide Figma AI Rollout
Built VP business case · Q1 2026
⬡
15+ Years in Design Leadership
Enterprise · Healthcare · Product
🏆
MM&M Top 40 Under 40
Healthcare Marketing & Media
01 — Track Record

Where I've done this.

2021 → Present
Red Hat
Senior Designer → Associate Manager → UX Manager in 3 years
Managing 8 designers across RHEL and Edge. Running AI strategy for the full 150+ person UX org. Shaped VP quarterly goals, ran the Figma AI pilot end-to-end through company-wide rollout, created Red Hat's first reusable AI governance path, and formed a cross-functional AI working group with three tiger teams. Led continuous discovery across 20+ external orgs including Cisco, IKEA, Lockheed Martin, and ExxonMobil.
RHEL Edge AI Tooling
2016 → 2021
MicroMass Communications
Sr. Art Director → Assoc. Creative Director → Assoc. Director of Experience
Three promotions in five years. Built the UX function from scratch for enterprise pharma clients. Grew Novo Nordisk account revenue 30% in four months. Led concurrent teams across research, prototyping, websites, dashboards, and patient support programs.
Novo Nordisk GSK J&J AstraZeneca Merck
2003 → 2016
Gaming, Government & Media
Creative & Digital Lead roles
Led creative and multimedia teams shipping published game titles, military training simulations, and media projects. Built the cross-functional muscle for delivering under pressure with technical and non-technical stakeholders. That foundation drives everything today.
US Army Showtime Marvel Planet Fitness
02 — What I Believe

Opinions I'll defend.

Take 01
I don't manage tasks. I build people who find the work worth doing.
Any manager can assign tickets. I spend my time helping my team understand where UX can make the biggest impact, then getting out of the way. When people know why the work matters, they don't need to be managed.
Take 02
UX designers who understand the business are unstoppable.
Most UX managers protect their teams from business conversations. I do the opposite. I teach my team how revenue works, how decisions get made, and how to win the political games that come with every corporate org. UX people who can speak that language win more often.
Take 03
Psychological safety is what separates good teams from great ones.
My team knows they can take risks and I have their back. No exceptions. The most powerful thing I tell people is "I trust you 100%." That trust isn't soft. It's what makes people take the swings that actually move things forward.
03 — Beyond the Work

The stuff that doesn't fit a resume.

Mike with the Red Hat team at a conference
Mike performing on stage with guitar
Mike and family at a Hans Zimmer concert
Mike and wife dressed as Mario and Luigi
Mike with his two boys at a Carolina Hurricanes game
Work · Music · Family · Priorities

Outside of work, I'm a husband and a dad to two boys, which, honestly, is the most complex systems design challenge I've ever faced. No documentation, constant edge cases, and the feedback loops are deeply non-linear.

I've been playing guitar since 1993. It's the one thing that's been a constant across every chapter, from a kid learning power chords to now deep-diving into tone chasing and signal chains. If there's a piece of gear I haven't read seventeen reviews and three forum threads about, it probably doesn't exist yet.

🎛️
Current rabbit hole
Obsessing over amp in a box pedals and trying to convince myself I don't need another drive pedal. Spoiler: I probably do.

I bring the same energy to gear research that I bring to work: thorough, opinionated, and endlessly curious. Probably why I ended up in a career where "thinking hard about how things actually work" is the job description.

🎸 Guitar since '93 👦 Dad of 2 boys 🔧 Gear nerd 🎮 Former game dev 📍 Raleigh, NC
Want to talk AI strategy?
I'd rather have a conversation
than send a deck.
I'm always up for a good conversation about AI adoption, design leadership, or what's next.
Let's Talk → LinkedIn ↗
📍 Raleigh, NC · Remote friendly