Growing up on the border of Mexico in El Paso, Texas with my German immigrant father and mother with Irish roots, I learned early-on to appreciate the value and beauty of diversity in a community. I grew up with the fortunate experience to be surrounded by dual-language speakers, people from two countries working side by side to build the community that they love. I credit my love for culture and my compassion for people to the experiences I had growing up on Fiesta St. just miles from America’s Southern border.

Moving to Colorado in the 90’s to serve with the AmeriCorps, I was not prepared to fall in love with the state. When I completed my years of national service, I started grad school in Denver and got addicted to whitewater kayaking, floating down rivers across the state. This gave me a view of our beautiful state that only us “river people” can explain. More importantly, I gained the confidence and courage to navigate rough waters and face the uncertainty of big rapids and sharp boulders without hesitation.

I didn’t know then how those lessons would translate to the courage I would need to step into multiple, complex leadership positions.

After getting my PhD in Public Affairs from the University of Colorado Denver, I got my first job as a Policy Scientist at a non-partisan civic organization. There, I worked with an incredibly brilliant team of scientists and researchers across the country. It’s also where I had opportunities to work on matters of national defense as well as public health systems. That is where I learned the link between civic collaboration and great policy-making.

After years of policy experience, I took the leap to both start a family and move back to Colorado, the state that had completely captured my heart. I became an Arvada resident and have never left. I was fortunate to buy a home in the early 2000’s and bring all three of my baby girls home to it. It’s a dream I will fight fiercely in the legislature to help any Coloradan who desires home ownership to realize until every person has a warm, safe, and dry place to live.

After 6 years at the University of CO Denver, I officially became a tenured professor in the School of Public Affairs. I was honored with secondary appointments in the CO School of Public Health, and the CU School of Information Science. I served as the Nonprofit Concentration Director and founded and directed the CO Center on Network Science. By always seeking to center my research work in my community, I met and became friends with folks all across JeffCo and into Denver and sought to help support our community in thoughtful and measurable ways.

I became a published researcher, studying how social connectedness impacts our healthcare and civic outcomes. It was during this time that I learned the value of collaboration, connectedness, and became committed to ensuring that everyone has a seat at the decision-making table and bringing community voice into everything I do.

I turned my passion for research and seeking to understand “hard to measure things” into a business. Since 2018, I am the CEO and Founder of a Colorado-based health technology startup built on the philosophy that when you invest in, and take care of your employees, great things can happen.

After COVID, I saw the need for people to reconnect and to gather in place again. To fill the gap I started a community space in the heart of Olde Town Arvada. For three years, I have owned and operated The Arvada Community Room which is popular with our neighbors for everything ranging from baby showers to community activist trainings.

Today, I am an elected Jefferson County School Board Director. I have come to know more about school policy than I ever imagined. I have learned about what teachers and staff need, what parents need, and that school finance in Colorado must improve! While we manage a billion dollar budget, we also are in a constant negotiation about what will get priority to the limited dollars to support our schools. Our schools need resources to thrive. Our kids need mental health supports, academic supports, and safe facilities. This job has prepared me to face public pressure, collaborate with community, and create opportunities with limited budgets.