We're thrilled to announce that Anita Patwardhan Butler has joined Nextdoor as our Head of Design and Research. In this role, Anita will lead all aspects of design strategy and execution, helping us build experiences that strengthen neighborhood connections and foster local community worldwide.
"The opportunity to help build stronger, more connected neighborhoods aligns deeply with my passion for creating products that meaningfully impact people's lives," said Butler. "I'm excited to shape experiences where neighbors feel empowered to connect, support one another, and build the kind of communities where everyone belongs."
Anita brings extensive consumer product design leadership experience to Nextdoor. Most recently, she served as Chief Design Officer at Strava, where she oversaw brand and marketing design, product design, research, and content design and won Apple's Best Watch App Award for the Strava Apple Watch redesign. She also served as VP of Consumer Design at Twitter, where she led design for consumer experiences. Prior to that, she was Head of Design for Facebook Stories Experience and held senior design positions at Ancestry, Sephora, Walmart, and Hotwire.
"Anita's proven track record of building and scaling world-class design teams at global platforms makes her a valuable addition to Nextdoor," said Nirav Tolia, co-founder and CEO of Nextdoor. "Transforming our product requires a dramatically improved user experience, and Anita's leadership will be critical as we continue our efforts to create intuitive, inclusive experiences that serve our neighbors across 345,000 neighborhoods."
Anita’s appointment and her expertise in consumer product design indicate Nextdoor's continued investment in design excellence as we build the neighborhood network of the future.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Anita!