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Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

tableau experts - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Tableau has become the gold standard for data visualization – not just because of its powerful features, but because of the passionate, creative community behind it.

This global network includes Iron Viz champions, visionary consultants, pioneering bloggers, bestselling authors, and educators who have taught thousands how to turn data into insight. Below is a curated and updated list of the world’s most influential Tableau experts, selected for their public contributions, community leadership, technical excellence, and ability to inspire the #DataFam at every level.

  1. Andy Kriebel
  2. Ken Flerlage
  3. Will Sutton
  4. Paul Ross
  5. Ryan Sleeper
  6. Jeffrey Shaffer
  7. Lisa Trescott
  8. Sarah Bartlett
  9. Lindsay Betzendahl
  10. Luke Stanke
  11. Chris Westlake
  12. Ann Jackson
  13. Adam Mico
  14. Chloe Tseng
  15. Steve Wexler
  16. Eva Murray
  17. Ben Jones
  18. Rajeev Pandey

Now, let’s delve deeper into their remarkable qualifications, achievements, and current activities.

Andy Kriebel

YouTube Video

Nationality: American

Andy Kriebel is one of the most prolific Tableau bloggers in the world, known for his long-running “VizWiz” blog and co-founding the popular Makeover Monday social data project.

A Tableau Visionary Hall of Famer (formerly Zen Master), Andy helped launch The Information Lab’s Data School in 2012 and later became the Global Head Coach there. In November 2023, he started “Next-Level Tableau,” a training program to share his 13+ years of Tableau expertise with the community. Andy is widely respected as a teacher and mentor – he has published over 1,400 Tableau Public visualizations and constantly shares tips to help users of all levels improve their skills. Today, he continues to inspire and educate the #DataFam through blog posts, live streams, and social media engagement as an independent coach and Tableau evangelist.

Ken Flerlage

Ken Flerlage - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Nationality: American

Ken Flerlage is a leading Tableau evangelist and data visualization consultant who, along with his twin brother, runs the famous Flerlage Twins blog. With over 25 years in IT and analytics, Ken has become a Tableau Visionary Hall of Fame member – a title held by only around 30 people worldwide.

He first gained recognition by sharing innovative Tableau tutorials and complex chart techniques on his personal blog, and was honored as a Tableau Zen Master in 2018. Ken is also a five-time Tableau Forums Ambassador, known for generously helping others with tough technical questions, and is currently one of the most “favorited” authors on Tableau Public (in the top five globally). Now a consultant at Moxy Analytics, Ken remains deeply involved in the community through blogging, speaking, and mentoring – exemplifying the blend of technical mastery and knowledge-sharing that defines a Tableau Visionary.

Will Sutton

Nationality: British

Will Sutton is a rising star in the Tableau world, best known for clinching the 2022 Iron Viz Global Championship. Hailing from the UK, Will captivated the audience at the Tableau Conference in Las Vegas with a visualization on the arts that combined technical skill and artistic flair.

Following this achievement, Will joined The Information Lab consultancy, where he now helps clients elevate their analytics (while continuing to produce jaw-dropping vizzes). He was subsequently named a Tableau Visionary and Tableau Public Ambassador, reflecting his active involvement in the community. Will has an impressive 11 Tableau Public “Viz of the Day” selections to his name, demonstrating the consistent quality and creativity of his work.

In 2023, Will launched an “AI Toolkit for Tableau” via his blog, showing his knack for innovation by integrating Python and AI into Tableau workflows. With his blend of competition-tested skill, consulting experience, and community spirit, Will Sutton represents the new generation of Tableau talent making a global impact.

Paul Ross

Nationality: American

Paul Ross’s Tableau journey is the definition of meteoric. In 2023, within just one year of actively using Tableau, Paul went from beginner to Iron Viz Champion. A data analyst by profession (with prior experience in Power BI), Paul discovered Tableau’s community and quickly honed his skills through personal passion projects.

His Iron Viz winning visualization, “Can We Close the Climate Gap?”, wowed judges with its rich storytelling and design to address climate inequities. Following his win, Paul has become a prominent data storyteller, sharing his process in webinars and encouraging others that “you don’t need decades of experience to achieve great things, just dedication and creativity.” He has earned two Tableau Public Viz of the Day honors so far.

He remains an independent creator, constantly building his portfolio on Tableau Public and experimenting with new techniques. Paul’s rapid rise and approachable personality have made him an inspiring figure for newcomers, proving that the Tableau community rewards passion and continuous learning.

Ryan Sleeper

Ryan Sleeper - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Nationality: American

Ryan Sleeper is a globally recognized Tableau authority, celebrated for both his competitive achievements and educational contributions to the field. He first made waves by winning the 2013 Tableau Iron Viz Championship, showcasing his creative storytelling under pressure.

Ryan went on to be named a Tableau Zen Master multiple times and even earned “Tableau Public Visualization of the Year” honors for his public work. As the Founder and Principal of Playfair Data, a Tableau consulting firm, he has guided data strategies for many Fortune 500 companies. Ryan is also a best-selling author of three Tableau books (“Practical Tableau,” “Innovative Tableau,” and “Tableau Desktop Pocket Reference”) and a sought-after speaker who has delivered keynotes and workshops worldwide from London to Tokyo. His blend of hands-on expertise and teaching skill has earned him a reputation as a “master instructor” – he continuously shares tips, video tutorials, and even dashboard templates to help users at all levels succeed with Tableau.

Jeffrey Shaffer

Nationality: American

Jeffrey (Jeff) Shaffer is a prominent Tableau thought leader, professor, and author who has played multiple influential roles in the community. He is a Tableau Visionary (formerly Zen Master) and serves as the COO and VP of IT & Analytics at Unifund in his professional life.

In the evenings, Jeff teaches data visualization at the University of Cincinnati, where he was honored as Outstanding Adjunct Professor in 2016. He’s best known in the community as the creator of the blog Data + Science, which has been a rich resource of Tableau tips and was even shortlisted for the Kantar Information is Beautiful Awards in 2016. Jeff’s expertise spans from advanced Tableau analytics to data ethics and design – he frequently speaks at conferences and Tableau events on these topics.

A former Iron Viz finalist himself (he won Tableau’s 2014 Quantified Self contest to qualify for Iron Viz), Jeff also co-authored The Big Book of Dashboards, contributing his real-world experience to one of the most important books in the field. His dedication to teaching and sharing knowledge, both online and offline, has made him one of the Tableau community’s most respected mentors.

Lisa Trescott

Nationality: American

Lisa Trescott burst onto the scene as the Iron Viz Global Champion of 2021, impressing the Tableau world with her visualization “Breakthrough Artists” that artfully analyzed music data.

Lisa, a community college research analyst from California, showed how innovation in storytelling can come from anywhere – her viz was celebrated for its concise visuals and compelling narrative, earning her the top prize in a historic all-women finale. Following her win, Lisa has remained deeply involved in the community. She was named a Tableau Visionary and Ambassador, and she co-leads the Tableau User Group for California’s community colleges.

She has presented at multiple Tableau conferences and user group events, sharing insights on how to design for impact even with limited time or resources. Lisa’s background in sociology and education gives her a unique perspective – she’s particularly passionate about using data viz to uncover insights in public policy, education, and social issues. As a relatively new member of the “Zen” cohort, Lisa Trescott represents the power of fresh voices in the Tableau community and continues to inspire others to dive into data viz competitions and projects without fear.

Sarah Bartlett

Sarah Bartlett - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Nationality: British

Sarah Bartlett is a data visualization leader known for empowering others to level up their Tableau skills and for championing diversity in the community. She is a two-time Tableau Zen Master (now Visionary) and a Hall of Fame Visionary inductee, as well as a seven-time Tableau Ambassador.

Sarah founded #IronQuest in early 2019, a monthly community dataviz challenge inspired by Iron Viz that encourages practitioners to create themed visualizations and refine their skills. This project stemmed from her own experience as an Iron Viz Europe finalist in 2018, where she was notably the first woman to reach an Iron Viz final in years. Professionally, Sarah works as a Tableau Enablement Consultant at Red Hat, where she helps internal teams maximize their use of Tableau.

She also co-leads the London Tableau User Group and is active in the Data + Women initiative, mentoring and advocating for women in analytics. Through her blog Sarah Loves Data and frequent conference talks, Sarah shares tips on design, storytelling, and community participation, inspiring thousands of newcomers to get involved in the Tableau #DataFam.

Lindsay Betzendahl

Nationality: American

Lindsay Betzendahl is a Tableau Visionary Hall of Famer and a leading voice in the intersection of data visualization and healthcare. With a background as a healthcare analyst and even as a former therapist, Lindsay brings a unique perspective to data viz – focusing on clarity, design aesthetics, and human impact.

She is the founder of #ProjectHealthViz, a community initiative that provides monthly topics and datasets for participants to create visualizations aimed at improving health and wellness outcomes. A Tableau Public Ambassador for six years running, Lindsay’s Tableau Public portfolio has earned her a devoted following; she was recognized as a Featured Author by Tableau and has had numerous vizzes selected as “Viz of the Day.”

In 2020, she was honored as a Tableau Zen Master for her community contributions, and she has since been inducted into the Tableau Visionary Hall of Fame.

Luke Stanke

Luke Stanke - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Nationality: American

Luke Stanke is a Tableau innovator known for combining data science rigor with cutting-edge visualization techniques. With over a dozen years of experience building data solutions, Luke is a Partner at Tessellation (an analytics consulting firm) where he architects high-end, scalable Tableau dashboards and data science integrations.

He has been recognized as a Tableau Visionary and is also a Tableau Social Ambassador, reflecting his active knowledge-sharing on multiple platforms. Luke co-founded and leads Workout Wednesday, a beloved weekly community challenge where participants rebuild a complex dashboard from scratch – an initiative that has trained countless Tableau users to master advanced skills through practice. A teacher at heart, he’s personally trained over a thousand people in Tableau, both in person and via online content.

Luke also co-hosts the video podcast #Hashtag Analytics and produces “Tableau 360” YouTube videos on the Data Coach channel, where he delivers quick, deep insights in just six minutes per topic.

Chris Westlake

Nationality: British

Chris Westlake is the reigning Tableau Iron Viz Champion of 2024. Based in Edinburgh, Scotland, Chris is a visualization developer whose work on Tableau Public has earned him wide acclaim – including at least 8 Viz of the Day features even before his Iron Viz win.

In the Iron Viz finals, Chris’s entry “The IMDb Explorer” not only won over the judges but also captured the Fan Favorite vote, thanks to its interactive deep-dive into movie data. Chris is a Tableau Public Ambassador who is passionate about community learning; he often shares how certain vizzes are made and contributes to community initiatives like #VizGrad.

Chris stays active on X (Twitter) offering quick tips and feedback to fellow developers, and he maintains a personal blog where he writes about his Iron Viz preparation and design approach. As a newly minted global champion, Chris Westlake has quickly become one of the influential voices in the Tableau community, inspiring others to level up their skills and perhaps take the Iron Viz stage themselves.

Ann Jackson

Nationality: American

Ann Jackson is a dynamic Tableau Visionary who blends entrepreneurial drive with community leadership. She is the founder of Jackson Two, a boutique analytics consulting firm that helps businesses unlock insights from their data.

Outside of her day job, Ann is a pillar of the Tableau community: she co-leads Workout Wednesday alongside Luke Stanke, coordinating weekly challenges that sharpen practitioners’ skills. Ann also heads the Phoenix Tableau User Group, fostering local data talent, and she co-hosts the podcast Hashtag Analytics with Luke, where they discuss data viz trends and techniques in an accessible way. Known for her “contagious passion” for data viz and her logical approach to problem-solving, Ann has been recognized as a Tableau Visionary for multiple years.

She is celebrated for her clean, analytically rigorous dashboard designs and her dedication to mentoring others (often sharing tips on forums and social media). Whether she’s organizing community projects or delivering training sessions, Ann’s goal is to spread her love of Tableau and help everyone – from beginners to experts – fall in love with data visualization.

Adam Mico

Adam Mico - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Nationality: American

Adam Mico is a Tableau Visionary celebrated for his inclusive leadership and relentless advocacy for data literacy. As a data visualization and enablement lead, Adam has helped large organizations adopt Tableau and fostered diverse talent in the community.

He holds multiple Tableau certifications (Desktop Specialist, Certified Consultant) and even earned the coveted “Golden Hoodie” from Salesforce for his community contributions. Adam is a two-time winner of the Michael W. Cristiani Community Leadership Award at Tableau Conference – an award recognizing his extraordinary mentorship and support of others. He is open about being autistic and actively promotes neurodiversity and accessibility in data viz, making sure the community is welcoming to all.

Adam also serves on the advisory board of the Data Leadership Collaborative and is a published author of data-related articles and whitepapers. On social media and his Medium blog, he is known for sharing “Mico Tips” – practical Tableau tricks – and for coordinating community initiatives like mentoring programs.

Chloe Tseng

You don’t need to be a data expert to make a difference. You just need heart and a desire to help.

Nationality: American

Chloe Tseng is a data do-gooder who has harnessed Tableau’s power for social impact on a global scale. In 2017, she founded Viz for Social Good, a volunteer initiative that connects data visualization enthusiasts with nonprofits to create vizzes that drive positive change.

Under Chloe’s leadership, Viz for Social Good grew into a network of over 2,000 volunteers worldwide and partnered with organizations like the UN and UNICEF to visualize issues ranging from education to climate action. Chloe herself is a former Tableau Zen Master and was recognized as a Tableau Social Ambassador for her community leadership. She also co-founded She Talks Data, a group aimed at empowering women in data (and helped start the Women in Data SF community).

Professionally, Chloe worked as a data visualization engineer at Twitter and later joined Block, bringing her design skills into industry. She frequently speaks about the intersection of data and social justice, inspiring others to “do good with data.”

Steve Wexler

Good data visualization should tell a story, answer a question, or support a decision.

Nationality: American

Steve Wexler is a veteran data visualization expert and author who has been influencing the Tableau community for over a decade. He won the inaugural Iron Viz contest in 2011, proving his skill at turning data into impactful stories.

Steve is the founder of Data Revelations, a consultancy where he’s served as “chief chart looker-atter,” helping organizations like Amazon, Deloitte, and Johnson & Johnson make sense of their data. A Tableau Visionary Hall of Fame member and perennial community presence, Steve co-authored the acclaimed The Big Book of Dashboards, a go-to guide for data visualization best practices used by practitioners worldwide.

Beyond client work and writing, Steve gives back by co-hosting the popular “Chart Chat” webinar series (a past Data Literacy award winner) and serving on the advisory board of the Data Visualization Society. Known for his humor and clarity in teaching, Steve has trained thousands of people in Tableau and continues to be a guiding voice in the community.

Eva Murray

Eva Murray - Tableau Talent: 18 Best Experts in Data Visualization

Nationality: German

Eva Murray is a renowned Tableau evangelist, author, and community builder who has made her mark both in the Tableau sphere and the broader data industry. A former Tableau Zen Master, Eva co-led the iconic Makeover Monday project from 2017–2019, alongside Andy Kriebel, which challenged thousands of participants weekly to improve an existing chart – a project that yielded a book co-authored by Eva.

She has authored two books of her own: Makeover Monday: Improving How We Visualize and Analyze Data and Empowered by Data, sharing her philosophy on effective data use. In 2020, Eva took on a new role as the Lead Evangelist for EMEA at Snowflake, where she helps organizations understand the value of their data and drives analytics adoption. In this capacity, and as a highly sought speaker, she bridges the worlds of modern cloud data warehousing and visualization.

Eva also founded the Data + Women community chapter in Germany and has been a vocal advocate for women in tech. Her contributions earned her recognition as one of DataIQ’s 100 most influential people in data.

Ben Jones

Nationality: American

Ben Jones is a pioneer in the Tableau community and a leading advocate for data literacy worldwide. He spent six years at Tableau (2013–2018) in roles including Senior Product Manager for Tableau Public and Director of Tableau Public Outreach, where he helped shape the platform that enables anyone to share interactive vizzes online.

During that time, he worked closely with thousands of authors and championed the idea that data analysis isn’t just for specialists – a philosophy he later turned into action by co-founding Data Literacy, LLC in 2018. As CEO of Data Literacy, Ben now focuses on training people to “speak the language of data,” both through corporate workshops and academic courses (he has taught data visualization at UW). He is also the author of the book Communicating Data with Tableau (2014), which was one of the first comprehensive guides to Tableau, as well as Avoiding Data Pitfalls.

His current work continues to influence how organizations approach upskilling their workforce in analytics. From building the Tableau Public community to now fostering data culture in businesses, Ben Jones’s impact on the data viz world is profound.

Rajeev Pandey

Nationality: Indian

Rajeev Pandey is one of India’s most celebrated Tableau experts and community leaders. He is a three-time Tableau Zen Master and five-time Tableau Public Ambassador – the first person from India to achieve these honors. Rajeev’s Tableau Public work is prolific and creative; he has been featured by Tableau multiple times and even won the “Notable Newbie” award early in his journey.

He is known for pushing Tableau’s boundaries to create complex charts (he often experiments with Animated GIFs and game-inspired visuals) and for sharing how he does it on his blog “VizArt Pandey.” As a co-leader of the Hyderabad and Kuala Lumpur Tableau User Groups, Rajeev has mentored many emerging talents in Asia. He also contributes on the global stage – for example, some of his visualizations have been showcased in Tableau’s marketing, and he participated in the global Iron Viz feeder competitions.

In addition to his community work, Rajeev is a Senior Data Analyst in the financial services sector, where he evangelizes Tableau internally. His passion for data is infectious: he frequently says his mission is to make data visualization “accessible, fun, and impactful” for all.

Wrap Up

These legends represent exceptional talent, making them extremely challenging to headhunt. However, there are thousands of other highly skilled IT professionals available to hire with our help. Contact us, and we will be happy to discuss your hiring needs.

Note: We’ve dedicated significant time and effort to creating and verifying this curated list of top talent. However, if you believe a correction or addition is needed, feel free to reach out. We’ll gladly review and update the page.

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