Hello!
In 2019, I was elected to one of the Bloomington City Council At-Large seats. I officially began my first term in January 2020, just a few months before a global pandemic hit and then the murder of George Floyd and resulting civil unrest. Despite these challenges, it has been an honor to serve our community during the most difficult of times and I am proud of the work we have been able to accomplish as a Council.
As background, I live in Bloomington with my husband Mike, our two children Dylan (12) and Evelyn (8), and our dogs Luna and Sunny. My parents were both in the military and most of my childhood was spent moving around the country and world. They retired to a small farming town in southwest Iowa where I attended high school and met my soon-to-be-husband. I went on to graduate from Iowa State University and then obtained my Masters degree at the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. Mike and I loved Minnesota so much, we decided this is where we wanted to launch our careers and raise our family. We eventually bought our home in Bloomington and have enjoyed every minute since!
For 15 years, I have worked within and across sectors to advance community health and equity with a focus on policy and systems changes. Recently, I was named a Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal 40 Under 40 Honoree. I serve as the Associate Executive Director at the Epilepsy Foundation of Minnesota where I lead the organization’s work to support people impacted by epilepsy across the state. Before this role, I was at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota for 12 years, working in their Center for Prevention and on their Public Affairs team. In 2018, I was awarded a Humphrey Policy Fellowship joining one of the country’s most respected public affairs leadership experiences for career professionals who want to work together on common-good solutions to public challenges in a bipartisan and inclusive manner.
As a Bloomington resident, I volunteer for our schools and have served on the Board of Directors for VEAP and the Bloomington Housing Coalition. In my spare time, I enjoy running and am looking forward to finishing the Boston Marathon for the first time in April! Our family spends much of our free time at our kid’s activities - baseball, hockey, soccer, cheer, and volleyball. We also enjoy outdoor activities including mountain biking, skiing, and fishing.