With more than 10 years experience in journalism, I developed serious skills in research, dealing with personalities, working under pressure and on tight deadlines, and producing clean content. Most of my time in journalism was spent in political reporting, but I also wrote opinion pieces, edited election guides and special sections, and reported on sports, science, arts, history, business, education, public safety, and basically whatever I was called upon to do.

I worked for the State of Colorado as a staffer or legislative aide for about 14 years, with titles including Executive Assistant to the Majority Leader, Deputy Communications Director, Policy Advisor, and Chief of Staff (for a small staff). While working at the State Capitol in Denver, I gained command of state law, learned how to function within a gigantic organization, interacted with people and issues from all regions of a huge state, and helped a lot of people gain access to information or assistance from their state government. Public sector work also gave me important lessons in how to move through the world according to formal protocol, and in manners befitting a public official.

I’ve done paid and volunteer work on a number of political campaigns. My experiences have included petition drives, digital advertising campaigns, creating maps (turf) for canvassing, content for websites and media, press releases and follow-up with news outlets, data collection, consulting on messaging and advertising, social media, phone-banking, text messaging, door-to-door contacts, literature design, and more.

I earned a proofreading certificate from the online firm Proofread Anywhere, and don’t mind bragging that I scored 100% on the final exam! The course primarily focused on grammar and punctuation rules found in the Chicago Manual of Style, but included business tips and outlines of Artificial Intelligence platforms. I already had a great eye for detail, and relevant education, but this course helped bring me up-to-date on newer standards and helped me update my skill set.

I’ve built or worked on websites using WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, Dreamweaver, and a number of other platforms. I’m experienced with Photoshop, Illustrator, Excel, Google Workspace, NGP VAN (voter database), blast e-mail systems such as MailChimp, iMovie, HTML, and of course Microsoft Word.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree from Bemidji State University in Social Studies plus a minor in English, with concentrations in History and Secondary Education. This experience included a period of student teaching at Irondale High School in Minnesota, writing for my student newspaper, winning athletic letters in track and cross country, and completing rigorous coursework that has guided my professional career.

I love, in no particular order: hiking in the mountains, skiing, music, organic gardening, writing, reading, cooking, travel, arts and culture, and new adventures. I’m learning Spanish though I won’t claim fluency. I’ve worked with electrical hardware and basic electronics, and can do basic home electrical projects. I’ve been to Spain, France, England, Monaco, and four provinces of Canada. I’m a precinct organizer and member of the executive committee for my local political party.