Quire is a collective of talented thought leaders.

We have access to experts in a wide range of fields—business leaders and entrepreneurs, social science professionals, design masters, and more. We hand select consultants for your team based on your needs and project goals.

Quire Consultants

Autumn Sanders | Founder, CEO

Since 2010, Autumn Sanders has worked with Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, and nonprofits, helping them grow their businesses by understanding their customers. She launched Quire in 2017 to bring ethnographic research and design thinking to organizational leaders that are looking for a way forward but don't know how to get there. Throughout her career, Autumn has worked with organizations including Target, Samsung, FedEx, SC Johnson, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Chicago Public Education Fund, and many others.

Autumn currently serves on the City of Birmingham Small Business Council. She teaches tennis with Better Basics and coaches entrepreneurs with Create Birmingham and EGK Starters. She has served on several non-profit boards focusing on the arts and design. Autumn holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University (Athens, OH) and a master’s degree in design management from the Savannah College of Art and Design (Savannah, GA).

Activities & Affiliations
Cavu, Flight Crew Member
Co.Starters, Facilitator and Trainer
EPIC People, Member

Education
Savannah College of Art and Design - M.A., Design Management and Graphic Design
Ohio University (Athens) - B.S., Journalism

Katelyn Foote | Design Research Associate

Katelyn is a design researcher passionate about the intersecting institutions and informal interactions that make up the social life of a city. She has worked with non-profit organizations in urban neighborhoods in Birmingham and rural communities across Alabama providing a range of services. Katelyn has also held positions in small local businesses focused on hospitality.

Katelyn is part of the Greater Birmingham Ministries program The Exchange, and volunteers as a researcher and writer for their Election Guide. She hosts a podcast with international colleagues and friends exploring women’s work in cities and urban design. Katelyn holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and social entrepreneurship from Samford University (Birmingham, AL) and a master’s degree in urban strategies and design from The University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University (Edinburgh, Scotland).

Education
University of Edinburgh & Heriot-Watt University - MSc Urban Strategies & Design
Samford University - BSc Business Administration: Social Entrepreneurship

Activities & Affiliations
Alabama Women in Business, Board Secretary
EPIC People, Member

Quire Interns

Xavier McCory | Anthropology Intern

Xavier is an undergraduate design research intern with a background in anthropology and foreign languages. He is interested in applying anthropological methodology to address real-world problems and serve diverse communities. He formerly worked as a bilingual student information specialist and currently holds a lifeguarding position at the UAB recreation center. He is the current vice president of the UAB Spanish Club, and he helps beginner students develop their oral and writing skills in Spanish through frequent conversation tables and tutoring sessions.

Xavier’s research interest lies within the intersection of identity and the politics of belonging. He is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Spanish at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. His hobbies include reading, cooking, dancing, swimming, and traveling.

Activities & Affiliations
UAB Club de Español, Vice President
American Anthropological Association, Student Member

Education
University of Alabama at Birmingham - Current Student

Ellie Albrecht | Design Research Intern

Elizabeth is an undergraduate student at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. She is currently studying Criminal Justice and History, with plans to go to law school. Elizabeth is an active member of the UAB Mock Trial team where she acts as an attorney during competition. She is also Vice President of the Phi Alpha Theta Honors program and helps put on exciting history events for the club.

Elizabeth has held positions at the University as a Student Consultant on University teaching, as well as in Jefferson County’s SAKI Department. She has a passion for hospitality and customer service, and hopes to implement this in her law studies. Elizabeth will graduate from UAB in May 2025.