About me

I grew up on Whidbey Island where my dad was a special education teacher. He was born and raised in Whitehorse, Y.T. and my mom is from Cordova, AK. Together they raised my brother and I with what I call Northern Values: honesty, integrity, resilience, perseverance and grit. They taught us to help our neighbors and the value of team work. Those values were reinforced from an early age on a commercial seine boat in Prince William Sound. I started fishing with my dad when I was 12 years old, and commercial fishing became my first career. On a fishing boat, teamwork is not optional. If you do not work together, the boat does not make money — and someone can get hurt. Fishing gave me precious time with my dad, helped pay for my first car and my bachelor’s degree, and eventually introduced me to my husband, Brett. I spent about a decade seining with my dad and another two years gillnetting with Brett before we moved to Kodiak and began focusing on teaching and raising our family.

Although we retired from commercial fishing, fishing has remained an important part of our family life. For more than 25 years, we fished with my father-in-law on his sport boat, shared time on the water with friends and family, and filled our freezer with fish we caught ourselves. Fisheries are not an abstract policy issue to me. They are part of my family, my upbringing, and the way of life that sustains communities throughout coastal Alaska.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Alaska Fairbanks and began teaching K/1 for the Kodiak Island Borough School District in 1996. I carried the same lessons I learned on the water into the classroom: when people work together toward a common goal, everyone benefits. Over the years, I became active in my union and served as NEA Director, representing NEA-Alaska and advocating for Alaska’s students and educators.

I am a proud mom of two girls, both raised in Kodiak. I was their Girl Scout troop leader where we volunteered and gave back to many local service organizations. My husband coached their hockey teams and is an honorary Girl Scout. We supported our kids in their activities and by virtue of being educators, encouraged all students in their extracurricular activities. When the high school needed a girls soccer coach, I stepped in to keep the program going with Brett as my assistant. For us, community service has always meant showing up and supporting those around us.

Now, I am running for State House to bring practical and collaborative representation to our district. I will listen, work hard, and show up every day for our communities. This is a working-class district, and our communities need good local jobs, reliable ferries, healthy fisheries, strong schools, affordable housing, dependable infrastructure, and a state budget that reflects our needs. I am ready to bring my experiences — and the same Northern Values I was raised with — to Juneau. I would be honored to earn your vote.