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Education
Ph.D. Cell Regulation (Cancer Research), U.T. Southwestern Medical Center
Experience
Dean of Assessment, Accreditation, & Compliance; Professor of Biology
Lucas has been my home since 2008, where we raised our three children in Lovejoy ISD. After they moved to College Station to attend and graduate from Texas A&M, I wanted to give back to the community that shaped our family. As a lifelong educator, it seemed only logical to start by getting educated! I began attending City Council meetings regularly in 2024 and serve on the Board of Adjustments and the Building and Standards Commission. My experiences with research rigor, institutional accountability, and community engagement are exactly what I want to bring to the Council. I have worked with Lucas residents directly through volunteering in the schools and with Legacy 4H, Lucas City board service, and with fellow citizens at public meetings.
Lucas has quadrupled in population since 2000 and more than doubled since my family moved here. I expect continued residential growth pressure, increasing commuter traffic from neighboring communities, and mounting demand on roads and public safety infrastructure. Planning for these changes means holding firm on our commitment to our rural, country lifestyle and no city sewer while proactively investing in roads and having a firm commitment to public safety before growth outpaces our ability to respond. I also will improve how City Hall communicates with residents as our population grows and civic expectations rise.
Our roads are a critical and visible concern. The good news is that the Council made a meaningful commitment in March, 2025 to bring Lucas roads to at least a "fair" rating by 2030, backed by significant increases in road funding over the past three years. As a Council member, I will hold us accountable to that commitment, tracking progress through reports like the upcoming follow-up Nexco assessment and working to ensure residents understand where their neighborhood roads fall on the improvement schedule.
Beyond roads, our most urgent infrastructure priority is developing the capacity to provide dedicated public safety services to Lucas residents. Our population growth in the area has brought hundreds of thousands of commuters through our city daily, creating both road degradation and genuine security concerns. I support developing a Lucas police force in a conservative, fiscally responsible, and well-researched manner. Based on conversations I've had, a carefully controlled approach will support rapid-response capability dedicated specifically to Lucas. I will also continue to stand firmly against city sewer expansion, which would fundamentally alter our land use character and our community’s rural identity.
Lucas is a community that attracts residents who value space, safety, and quality of life — and that comes with a cost structure. My focus is on responsible stewardship of what we have. Protecting our rural character is one strategy to limit the sprawl-driven service demands that increase municipal costs over time.
The City of Lucas continues to do an outstanding job managing the city budget and carefully working within the city’s financial constraints. On March 5, 2025, the City of Lucas Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR) for Fiscal Year 2024-2025 was presented to the Council with top marks by the independent auditor that presented the report. I will join Council members in regularly demonstrating their due diligence to balancing the needs of the city with fiscal responsibility.
My vision for Lucas is to protect and preserve what makes it special: rural character and controlled growth. I do not support the introduction of city sewer, as that is inconsistent with our community's identity. I support limited, thoughtfully planned commercial development that serves residents without fundamentally changing our character. Lucas is not meant to be another Frisco or Allen, and I will work to ensure our land use decisions reflect that.
As a Council member, I will work constructively with other members of the Council and city staff, as well as Collin County, state agencies, and regional organizations on shared concerns. My experience in institutional compliance means I understand how to navigate intergovernmental processes.
I am the only candidate running for Council who has attended City Council meetings regularly. With this experience, the issue I feel needs to be addressed is the communication gap between City Hall and our residents. Attendance at Council meetings is consistently low, yet when residents do show up with concerns, I rarely see systematic follow-up through future agenda items or public statements. I am committed to changing that. Citizens deserve to understand not just what decisions were made, but to know their voices were heard. I am encouraged that City staff have been receptive to these concerns, and I look forward to being a Council member committed to ensuring City Council discussions and decisions are accessible to everyone.
