My family moved to Lake Oswego because of the schools, yet it is the schools and this community that have more than lived up to that promise. This is a place that is welcoming, engaged, and still holds onto that small-town feel, all while offering incredible schools, parks, and resources for families and businesses alike.
I grew up the daughter of two teachers who worked more than one job to make ends meet, and a bonus dad who served in two wars and later worked as a sheriff. I started working young — painting houses — and put myself through college on scholarships, loans, and jobs along the way. Before launching my own business, I spent years building a career across the private and nonprofit sectors, learning firsthand how different organizations get things done.
My husband's career in public service has taken our family across the U.S. and abroad, including time apart while he served in Iraq and a year away from us while serving his last assignment in Washington, D.C. — and out of everywhere we've lived, Lake Oswego is the most engaged community we've ever been part of. We're raising two boys here, one still in the school district, plus a dog, Bleu, who's fully convinced he runs the house (have no doubt he does)!
I'm now in my 20th year running my own executive coaching and leadership development business, with clients ranging from construction companies, startups, mutual insurance companies, financial planning firms, law firms, accounting firms, nonprofits, financial firms, and government agencies. That's the same skill set I want to bring to City Council: listening carefully, asking powerful questions, building consensus, and helping our community navigate change together. I'm pro–Lake Oswego, and I'm a natural problem solver, collaborator, and forward thinker who wants to bring that same energy to the Council.
I've learned how to work effectively with people across every kind of perspective and priority — and that's my edge: the ability to build consensus, find common ground, and know when it's better to agree to disagree and keep moving forward to what is possible.
