I have lived in Ann Arbor for over half of my life. I first moved here as a child when my dad began a PhD program at the University of Michigan.  I attended elementary school at Northside and St. Thomas before my family moved away to find more affordable housing. For us, like many, Ann Arbor was too expensive to raise a family.

After graduating from Manchester High School, I split my time between the midwest and Seattle. I attended Indiana University and spent my summers working in Seattle for environmental advocacy organizations. After graduating from Indiana with a BA in Political Science, I moved to Seattle and began working for a law firm. In 2000, after ending an unhealthy and abusive relationship, I moved back to Ann Arbor as a single mom uncertain what direction to take.  I was fortunate to have a supportive family in Ann Arbor and find a welcoming community that I could lean on as I regrouped and put myself through graduate school. After receiving my Master’s degree in public administration, I accepted a position as getDowntown program director. This position focused me like none I had before. It linked my passion for environmental advocacy with transportation, land use, and local government. It demonstrated to me how local investments and policies can powerfully influence individual behaviors and community outcomes. And on the personal side, I met my now husband at one of the first events I organized. A few years later we married and moved to southern Germany for two years for his job.

It was a pivotal time in my life to move to abroad. I was able to study up close German land use and transportation policy and was inspired to work for more transformative changes in Michigan. When we moved back to Ann Arbor in 2009, I returned with a strong sense of purpose and I have devoted my time and energy to work for more sustainable and healthy land use and transportation policies in our community and across Michigan. I have also sought to arm myself with more knowledge and skills. I graduated with my PhD in Political Science from Michigan State University in May 2020. I have served as the Director of Scenic Michigan since 2018 and was elected to Ann Arbor City Council in November 2020.

I have lived primarily in the Fifth Ward, first on the Old West Side a block from Bach Elementary, and now, a short walk from West Park and Slauson Middle School.  My older son graduated from Pioneer in 2018 and now attends the University of Alabama, and my younger son is a seventh grader at Slauson Middle School. My husband, Don, works as an engineer for Novelis in Novi.  When I’m not working or engaged in community life, my family and I enjoy biking, running, camping, cooking, and traveling.

I am grateful for the high quality of life our family enjoys in Ann Arbor and want to do my part to make sure we have an inclusive community open to all who wish to live here. I have seen Ann Arbor through a variety of lenses — child, single mom, grad student, renter, stay-at-home mom, working mom, home owner, community activist — and I believe these diverse perspectives help me advocate with empathy for all residents.