I have lived nearly my whole life in Oregon. Growing up in the Willamette Valley, I learned to appreciate green forests with a gray-sky background, the skill it takes to drive on a foggy night, and the feeling of being enveloped by the Coastal Range to the west and the Cascade Mountain Range to the east.

As an adult, I found that I needed something different, so in 2005 I moved to Bend for wide open skies, more days of sunlight than rain clouds, cool desert nights during the summer, and the smell of Juniper and Sage after a heavy rain.

I’ve owned and ridden horses since I was five, and I have two horses, a mini horse, and a mini donkey on my small farm that I share with my husband, three dogs, two cats, and some chickens.

My time in Bend has cultivated a passion for local food and farming. I served on the High Desert Food & Farm Alliance Board of Directors for four years, serving as chair for more than half that time, and I love buying my food directly from growers/producers at Farmers Markets and Fill-Your-Pantry events and finding local restaurants that support those same farmers. Supporting local businesses of all kinds is a central part of how I live.

After working for a variety of businesses, I realized how much I enjoyed the skill and variability that came with running a business’s operation, so I enrolled in Oregon State University’s MBA program, graduating in 2021 with a Masters of Business Administration in Organizational Leadership. Taking my experiences and viewing them through the lens of my MBA studies drove home for me how fulfilling it can be to find sustainable and creative solutions to business challenges.

I strive to foster an inclusive and equitable atmosphere in my life, and I bring that into my work. Transparent and straightforward communication are standards I live by, as well as following a strong moral and ethical compass.

As a practical, systems-oriented person who values honesty, integrity, and treating everyone with dignity, I strive to help organizations meet their goals while fostering employees’ professional enjoyment and success, folding humanity into positive business outcomes.