Associate Director - UX Research, Verizon Connect

Cheryl Abellanoza is a dynamic UX research leader who combines her background in clinical and cognitive neuroscience with user experience expertise as Associate Director of UX Research at Verizon Connect. With a passion for building “highly successful, intelligent, passionate, innovative, and fun” research teams, she transforms customer insights into actionable strategies using her signature “3 Cs” philosophy—Cognition, Culture, and Creativity. At Verizon Connect, Cheryl leverages tools like the Dovetail Insights Hub to centralize customer feedback, break down organizational silos, and empower teams across the company to make decisions driven by real customer needs. Her comprehensive approach incorporates mixed methods research, Lean Product methodologies, Kanban frameworks, and OKR metrics to evaluate user cognition, attitudes, and behavior from both foundational and tactical perspectives, ultimately fostering a customer-first culture throughout the enterprise.