Friends and Neighbors,

I was born and raised here in Grand Rapids in a blue collar union family. Both my grandfathers were in unions, my father was in a carpenters union and my husband is in the welders’ union. We grew up working class but always had what we needed thanks to the protections that unions provided us. I bought my first house on the westside about 18 years ago and have been here ever since. I have the great privilege of being mother to two daughters, ages 16 and 2. I have a master’s degree in counseling, am fluent in Spanish and work for a local non-profit as a mental health therapist. I have devoted my entire life to improving the lives of others and making the world a better place.

Coming from a lower-middle class family, I am no stranger to financial stress. When the last big recession hit in 2008, I was just starting college. My entire college fund was lost when the stock market crashed as was my father’s retirement fund. Like many families at the time my parents ended up underwater with their home and came close to losing it. Due to the financial strain on my family I started life out financially supporting myself completely at the age of 18. I worked very hard to pay my way through college. When I wasn’t working or studying I was engaging at my local church and volunteering at a children’s home in Guatemala.

I traveled to Guatemala numerous times on my breaks from school. While there, I helped care for orphaned, abused and neglected children and learned Spanish. I gained a deep appreciation for the privilege I had been born into as a U.S. citizen, and I developed a passion for helping those who are vulnerable and less fortunate. Back in the States, I focused my energy working in children’s residential facilities to support kids from similar situations. My time in these facilities inspired me to get an education in mental health in order to better understand trauma and trauma-informed treatments.

I graduated from Grand Valley with a major in psychology and a minor in Spanish. I earned my masters degree in Community Counseling from Western Michigan University. I have worked as a mental health therapist for numerous local non-profits for the past 15 years.

As a human rights advocate I have worked to improve the treatment of our foreign born neighbors through action and education. I lecture at local universities and have led seminars for non-profits and political think tanks on the issue of immigration for many years. When we listen and understand each other as a community we can achieve great things. Most recently I have volunteered with a local pastor visiting detainees at the Baldwin detention center, hearing their stories and providing whatever assistance possible.

I am a board member of Mobile GR, working to improve our parking, transportation and safety. I am also a member of my neighborhood association and working to support efforts to preserve a beloved neighborhood park.

Besides having a career I have also worked as a trades woman. As mentioned, my father was a carpenter and he taught me the trade. I have re-modeled a few homes and worked for a time laying tile. I sympathize very much with trades people and their concerns. I am also familiar with the difficulty contractors and home owners can face when working to pull permits and meet city code. As commissioner I would like to work to simplify that process and offer waivers to lower income home owners who may find the cost of a permit prohibitive. I have had both positive and difficult interactions with code enforcement and as a commissioner I would strive to create a culture of collaboration between the code enforcement and residents.