For 30 years, I have called Minneapolis home. As a child and into adulthood, Minneapolis' gift of lakes and parks, urban forest, creeks, streams, and river have provided me with enjoyment, entertainment, and recreation. My childhood is filled with memories of the wading pool in Mueller Park and watching my Mother play on a park system recreational volleyball league to adventuring through Beltrami, Boom Island, and Logan Parks.

As an adult, I can be found jogging along trails at Minnehaha Falls, biking along the Greenway from the river to the chain of lakes or sailing on Lake Calhoun.

I started life in South Minneapolis, and I grew up near the corner of Lake Street and Stevens Ave. Junior high and high school found me a proud resident of North East Minneapolis near the Minneapolis Public School office just off NE Broadway and Central Ave. I am a proud alumnus of Patrick Henry High School in North Minneapolis.

In 2006, I was honored to receive the Presidential Volunteer Service Award after completing a year of National Service through Americorps.  I continue to be an advocate for National Service and believe that it is key to strengthening our economy and community as well as increasing the skills of our future workforce.  I am confident that National Service members can play a vital role in the vitality of our Park system.  In my free time, I continue to volunteer for humanitarian and arts based non-profits including People Serving People, Habitat for Humanity and 3AM Theater.

I received a B.A.from Augsburg College, and I received a Master's degree in Non-Profit and Public Administration from Metropolitan State University. Previous to my current career path in the non-profit sector, I worked for ten years in retail management with a number of companies. I have built my life and my career in Minneapolis.

My experience in budgeting, project management, and personnel administration are excellent qualifications for Park Board Commissioner. My love of Minneapolis' park system, its green spaces, its legacy of public land use, and my deep commitment to maintaining, expanding, and increasing stewardship and wise use of park land is why I would like to serve as your Park Board Commissioner.

Let me be clear, the Park system in Minneapolis is amazing, but there are failures of service, particularly services aimed at supporting youth, and it is past time for those insufficiencies to be addressed.

For the last three years, I have worked as a program manager with youth service agencies and the Minneapolis Public Schools on the North side of the city.  During my work on the North Side, I have seen first hand where the Park Board has started to fail the youth in our city.  I have been personally involved in battles to keep parks on the North Side of Minneapolis staffed, programmed, and safe in spite of the Park Boards efforts to reduce service to this part of our city.

During this time of economic uncertainty, when entire communities, particularly economically depressed communities, are feeling desperate, isolated, and forgotten, it is imperative that we remind those communities, particularly our youth, that they are valued, valuable, and supported. Cutting critical after school and leisure time activities and services in vulnerable communities contributes to feelings of isolation and sends a strong signal to underserved communities that they are less important and less valued than others. I am opposed to this and will work diligently to reverse this trend and show through action that no community in Minneapolis is less worthy than any other. All of our youth and families deserve beautiful park land and strong park activities that help them achieve their community and personal goals.