I grew up on my family's farm outside of Williamsburg in Franklin County. After high school, I enlisted in the United States Army to serve my country. I started at Ft. Bragg, NC and I left out of Camp Caserma Ederle in Vicenza, Italy. I had the honor of both serving as well as being an active Army spouse, which gave me insight into the struggles as a solider and a family member. It gave me a very personal and intimate understanding of the true depth of what it means to be a patriot. This would lead me to find my own meaning of continued service as my family embarked on our journey after the service.
We settled in Ohio where I cut my teeth in politics. I worked for Sherrod Brown and Betty Sutton, as well as a few municipal judges. I learned a lot about how federal, state and municipal branches of government interacted. I learned how to successfully lobby and work with our local Unions on a grassroots front. During my time in Ohio, we passed several key pieces of legislation such as requiring a psychological evaluation for anyone who abuses an animal. We also advanced several pieces of civil rights legislation, medical cannabis, and continued the fight for marriage equality.
During the 2008 financial crisis my husband decided to return to active duty. We were first stationed at Ft. Lee, VA where I was recruited to help with post wide voting efforts. Going unit to unit, we registered service members and their families in accordance with the laws of their home states. In 2010, we raised the installations registered voter rolls 8% in one cycle.
In 2012, I found myself in Florida's 1st Congressional District, which is Joe Scarborough's former seat. I managed the Democratic candidate in a very red district. While we did not win, we did manage to increase Democratic turnout. This District has the distinct honor of being home to the most active-duty members and veterans in the nation. I am proud to say that this was the first time I really saw the turning point in our community where we saw a significant rise in registered Democrats. Historically the military community has trended conservative, and I took this as a sign that the demographics were changing.
In the fall of of 2012, we were stationed at Ft. Lewis, WA (JBLM). Due to my experience at Ft. Lee, I was recruited to be the lead trainer for the installation's voting registration drive. I led a team of 35 community volunteers, who successfully increased installation voter registration by 6% and created new protocols for its voter registration program.
During the summer of 2015, we moved to Ft. Campbell. While there I joined an organization called AWAKE (Advocates for Women's and Kids Equality), whose mission statement was to curb domestic abuse by collaborating with state legislators, educators, and community organizations to create a curriculum focused on teaching teens and young adults financial literacy and healthy relationships. These are two major factors for people staying in abusive relationships. They crafted, lobbied for, and passed legislation to close the “Boyfriend Loophole” in the state's domestic violence policy on gun regulations. The organization developed curriculum now taught in Davidson County schools, with other counties considering the program. This program is currently still being studied by the University of Tennessee for its material impacts to help reduce domestic violence.
I returned to Kansas in 2018, where I was hired as the Regional Field Director for the 1st Congressional District for the Kansas Democratic Party. I was sent out to Dodge City when it became national news that it had the most congested polling place in America. Additionally, the city has been accused of disenfranchising the majority-minority community. With the help of the Dodge City High School Democratic Club, we mounted an effort to get citizens to the polls. After the story aired on The Rachel Maddox Show, Melissa Etheridge and Patricia Arquette reached out to donate charter buses to support the effort. For many this was a matter of the documented community members trying to protect their undocumented members. Many first time voters did so on behalf of their family members who could not vote.
During the 2020 and 2021 Kansas Legislative sessions I served as a Legislative Assistant to members of the House of Representatives, where I learned firsthand how our Legislature works. I watched as the conservative super majority constantly attacked reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, public education, and Medicaid Expansion. They are clearly out of touch.
My leadership style is to lead from the front, so I promise to stay focused on the issues that matter most to my district. I will not be a hired gun for special interest groups who have no interest in enriching the lives of the voters of the 58th District. I have a proven track record of leadership over the last 20 years and I look forward to continuing to serve YOU as your next State Representative from the 58th District.