I was born in Denver, grew up in Littleton, went to college in New Orleans, came back to Colorado, met my husband, and settled down to raise a family in my beloved square state. My love of policy began in high school when I joined the debate team (the only thing I ever lettered in, ha!), and continued into college where I studied political science.  I had four kids in five years and did the stay-at-home-mom thing (the price of childcare is bananas, amirite?) all the while following my passion for policy and politics by volunteering for campaigns and getting involved in community organizing.

 

I have been a precinct organizer since 2008, became secretary of the HD42 Dems in 2017, and very soon after, was elected Chair of the HD42 Democrats. I spent the next four years organizing and training volunteers in our neighborhoods to build community engagement  and elect leaders who would look after the best interests of the people in our district.

 

In 2014 I started a professional organizing business (think Marie Kondo and closets, kitchens, and basements, oh my!)  and happily brought order to  the homes of people across the state until the pandemic hit in 2020. My business collapsed as everyone hunkered down at home to protect themselves and others. We survived because my husband was able work from home and keep his job, and  I did *my part* to bring home the bacon by donating plasma (and I’ve got the scars on the inside of my elbows to prove it).

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In 2021, I worked at a mass vaccine clinic (what a historical endeavor!) and unexpectedly, by the end of the year I was running to replace my State Representative. I was working as her legislative aide at the time, she happened to resign, there was a vacancy, and my three year plan to run for her seat became a three week plan. And I won. It’s been quite a journey, to say the least.

 

My husband and I, we have seen it all — housing (un)affordability, rising healthcare costs, living paycheck to paycheck, navigating the public education system…you name it. Thankfully, we have raised all four of our kids to adulthood (look at us, WE DID IT!). Our oldest daughter got her degree in biology, our first son is a talented artist, our second son has a mind for business and finance, and our youngest daughter just joined the Navy.  One of the proudest accomplishments of my life is being a mom and seeing my kids grow up and become their very best selves. Hardest and best job I’ve ever had. 

I think a lot about my mom and my grandmothers — the  women who shaped me. My mom who had me at 17 and with her intelligence and steely determination gave me the foundation on which to build my life (and my love of Bruce Springsteen).  My Grandma Nila, with deep roots in the San Luis Valley, who worked at the Mile High Stadium Holiday Inn as a housekeeper for decades, giving all of herself for the future of her family, and teaching me how to make homemade tortillas. And my Grandma Shirley, an orphan  born on the eastern plains of Colorado, who took me on bus trips downtown (undoubtedly leading to my love of mass transit), whose spunk and resourcefulness live in me today.  Oh, how I wish my grandmothers  could see me in this role — I’m not sure they’d believe it. 

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