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I grew up in a rural union household but had diverse educational experiences. As a result, my career has included roles in experiential learning, museum education, higher education fundraising, and nonprofit arts leadership. I hold a Masters of Science in Education. I currently have a career in nonprofit philanthropy. With an aim to support students' exploration in the classroom, I joined LMC as an adjunct faculty member in 2025. As a 20+ year resident of this community, I am committed to bringing my strategic thinking skills, fresh perspective, & leadership experience to LMC’s Board of Trustees to ensure the college remains an outstanding resource whether students are discovering new opportunities, honing skills, or preparing for a career.

Challenges we face include reliable transportation, access to a skilled workforce, the steep investment of a four year education, fostering a generation of critical thinkers, and the expansive divide between family income levels. We are fortunate to reside in a region with significant resources including agriculture, culture, natural, and industry with Lake Michigan College as a resource for all generations.

I bring a fresh and creative perspective, and experience in strategic business leadership and am eager to lean on the relationships I have established over the years to work collaboratively to leverage the strengths of LMC as a part of the progress toward addressing these and other community challenges.

I grew up in this community and benefited from Lake Michigan College while still in high school, taking classes not available through my public school. Since then, I have built my own business and worked with Fortune 500 companies, nonprofit organizations and higher education institutions, including my current role leading Creative & Digital Services at Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business. I have been fortunate to pursue all of those opportunities while continuing to live in this community. I am running because LMC can help others build similarly expansive futures close to home.

LMC serves students at many stages of life: young people exploring what comes next, adults retraining for new careers, and community members continuing to learn. The college should offer strong technical and career preparation while also building the critical thinking, communication and problem-solving skills students need to adapt throughout their lives. As AI changes how we work, those human capabilities will matter even more. Technology can provide powerful tools, but people still need the judgment and ingenuity to address complex human challenges.

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I have decades of teaching experience in Berrien County, with the majority of years at Upton Middle School; including as President of the St. Joseph Education Association working on behalf of students and educators. I want to ensure LMC continues to offer educational opportunities at a low or no cost basis for students who want to move directly into the workforce as well as for those who want to continue their educations. Reaching out to older adults who may not have had a strong educational background or who may need retraining in another field is critical for our local college to provide. Finally, I want to work to regain more of our state revenue sharing to support our local college.

Too many residents of my community face the challenge of lower or stagnating wages, as well as inadequate benefit and retirement packages. This causes immense competition for affordable housing, transportation, and daily cost of living expenses. I believe that our local community college is the key to unlocking more opportunities for residents of Southwest Michigan through qualifying for higher paying jobs in the trades as well as continuing education to degreed programs. We need to allow LMC students to utilize credits for their classes to build programs to benefit themselves and their community. Also, I encourage college daycare programs as promoted by LMC as an asset for local parents, as well as training for potential educators.

As a Lake Michigan College alumna, longtime local business owner, community leader, and experienced LMC Trustee, I bring a unique combination of business, governance, and community experience to the Board. During my tenure, I have served in Board leadership and helped guide LMC through significant change while remaining focused on student success, affordability, workforce development, and responsible stewardship. I am running for re-election because I am proud of the progress we have made, but there is still important work to do. I want to continue helping LMC remain strong, relevant, and accessible for our students and the communities we serve.

Our community faces several interconnected challenges: the rising cost of education, changing workforce needs, and ensuring that students can see a clear path from education to a good-paying career. LMC must remain affordable and accessible while continually adapting programs to meet the needs of local employers and emerging industries. We also need to strengthen partnerships with K-12 schools, universities, businesses, and community organizations. As a Trustee, I believe our role is to provide strong oversight, ask the right questions, and ensure LMC has the resources and vision to serve our students and community well into the future.