About

I care deeply about the places we call home — how they function, how they grow, and how they help people thrive. My work is rooted in public service, business ownership, local economic development, and thoughtful leadership. At the end of the day, I’m simply someone who believes communities work best when we show up, listen well, and make steady, responsible decisions together.

BIO

I currently serve as Mayor of Independence, Oregon, a role I approach with humility, steadiness, and a deep respect for the responsibility of local governance. Public service, to me, is about listening first, building trust, and making thoughtful decisions that balance today’s realities with tomorrow’s opportunities. In a time when civic discourse can feel polarized, I am committed to calm leadership rooted in transparency, fiscal responsibility, and respect for diverse perspectives.

Professionally, I bring more than 25 years of experience in design, planning, business leadership, and organizational strategy. I was previously a principal in a large multi-discipline design firm, where I led complex projects, built high-performing teams, and guided long-range planning efforts. That experience shaped my belief that good strategy is both visionary and practical — grounded in data, shaped by community input, and executed with discipline.

I am also the founder of Creo Solutions, a consulting practice focused on supporting public-sector and nonprofit leaders. Through workshops, facilitation, and strategic advising, I help organizations clarify priorities, strengthen leadership capacity, and align their resources with measurable outcomes. My work centers on governance effectiveness, economic development strategy, and building resilient organizations that can navigate complexity with confidence.

In addition to my consulting work, I lead Indy Commons and Indy Idea Hub, initiatives dedicated to strengthening rural entrepreneurship and local economic ecosystems. Indy Commons is a coworking, commercial kitchen, and small retail space designed to lower barriers for emerging businesses. Indy Idea Hub operates as a nonprofit focused on supporting small farm and food businesses, fostering innovation, and building regional partnerships that expand opportunity. Together, these efforts reflect my belief that thriving local economies begin with supporting people who are willing to take thoughtful risks and build something meaningful.

I am on the Board of Trustees at Western Oregon University, and also teach entrepreneurship. I enjoy working with students — many of whom are first-generation college attendees — to help them translate ideas into viable ventures. Teaching keeps me grounded in the next generation of leaders and reinforces my belief that economic development is as much about mindset and confidence as it is about capital and infrastructure.

Across all of these roles, my focus remains consistent: strengthen institutions, support local enterprise, and build community trust. Whether facilitating a strategic planning session, hosting a town hall, mentoring a student entrepreneur, or working through a complex municipal budget, I aim to lead with steadiness, clarity, and long-term thinking.

At the heart of my work is a simple conviction: communities flourish when leadership is thoughtful, inclusive, and grounded in service.

My Values

  • I believe leadership is temporary, but institutions are not.
    Whether managing public funds, supporting small businesses, or teaching students, I see my role as a steward — someone entrusted to care for something that belongs to the community, not to me.

    Stewardship requires long-term thinking, fiscal responsibility, and the willingness to make steady decisions even when they are not the loudest or most popular ones.

  • Strong communities are built on connection.
    People need to feel seen, heard, and valued — not just during moments of crisis, but consistently.

    This belief drives everything from hosting town halls to mentoring entrepreneurs to teaching first-generation college students. I believe systems work better when people feel like they belong inside them.

  • Process matters. Accuracy matters. Accountability matters.

    I believe in doing the work honestly and transparently. That means following the rules even when they’re inconvenient, communicating clearly, and taking responsibility for decisions. Trust is built slowly — and protected carefully.

  • Opportunity changes lives.

    I care deeply about helping people build something of their own — whether that’s a small business, a career path, or a new idea. Economic development isn’t just about numbers or buildings. It’s about giving people the tools and confidence to participate fully in their community’s future.

  • Not every challenge requires a dramatic response.

    I believe in listening carefully, asking good questions, and taking the time to understand complexity before acting. Calm leadership isn’t passive — it’s disciplined. It creates space for better decisions and more durable solutions.

    The longer I serve — whether in public office, teaching, consulting, or building local initiatives — the clearer my values have become. They shape how I make decisions, how I communicate, and how I show up when things are easy and when they are not.

My Story

The Beginning

Many people have asked how I ended up in Independence, and it all starts with a bit of history. I grew up in Alsea, Oregon, the youngest of five girls. My dad was a pilot for United, but he didn't do well with "down time" and needed something to occupy himself (and us!) between trips. So, we grew up on Flying S Ranch chasing cattle, bucking hay, changing irrigation pipes, participating in 4-H, fishing and floating the South Fork of the Alsea River, making blackberry jam in the summer, and pretty much enjoying an idyllic rural upbringing.

Community Roots

Alsea is a close-knit community centered around athletic games at the high school, helping your neighbor, coming together in times of need, catching up on the news at the Merc, and volunteering for any number of civic needs. Our classes were small, the teachers involved, and people volunteered to help where needed.  But then came graduation and a choice – stay and enjoy the rural lifestyle or move away in pursuit of a career. An unfortunate choice, and one faced by many kids in rural communities.

New Horizons

So, I moved away to Eugene and enrolled at the University of Oregon (go Ducks!) where I pursued my love of the outdoors and design in the Department of Landscape Architecture.  I loved the practice of combining science and design to help make our communities a better place to live, work, and play. After graduation, I got a job in Seattle, eventually moving to Tacoma and then down to Portland. I was fortunate to work on a wide variety of projects, but soon realized I enjoyed public projects the most, and started managing projects for numerous cities, the Oregon Department of Forestry, the Bureau of Land Management, and the National Park Service.

Career Growth

I am fortunate to have worked with amazing coworkers and clients, met great people, traveled internationally for projects, and got involved with the business side of the company. I also became a Principal in the company I worked at and found that I really enjoyed working on strategic initiatives, leadership, planning, and business management. I eventually transferred to our office in Colorado, where I also got the itch to go back to school, so I enrolled in Colorado State University to get my MBA in the evenings. It was a great addition to the work I was doing, but little did I know at the time just how much it would change my career path.

Return to Oregon

During school, I switched jobs to Director of Operations at a construction company and added a whole new crew of coworkers and friends. When school ended, I was at a crossroads and decided Oregon was calling my name, so I returned home where I was grateful to be closer to my family and back among the green of the Willamette Valley. Bitten by the entrepreneurship bug though, I joined a startup in Colorado, where we got accepted into an accelerator program in Boulder. Going back and forth between Oregon and Colorado, our team dove right into the world of minimum viable products, bootstrapping, customer acquisition strategies, demos, product pitches, and venture capital. A whole new world opened, and I was hooked!

Entrepreneurial Journey

To hedge bets against the startup (unfortunately, the failure rate for startups is super high) I started my own consulting company, Creo Solutions, in August 2016. With 27 years of experience as a landscape architect, project manager, and community facilitator, I decided to go out on my own. I developed a relationship with the City of Independence, and we started working on a project together. However, I realized I didn't like working by myself and missed being around a community of professionals.

Founding Indy Commons

I started researching coworking spaces and discovered how impactful they can be on rural communities. They help businesses get started, get people away from their kitchen tables, and out of their spare bedrooms onto Main Street. After doing some research and talking to many people, I opened the doors to Indy Commons in April 2017. It started with shared work and meeting space to foster entrepreneurship and business development using a monthly membership model. I have now expanded to offer a podcast room, commissary kitchen, and pop-up restaurant and market space, all working to support rural innovation. 

Indy Idea Hub

In 2018, public and private partners deeply immersed in local entrepreneurship came together to build an entrepreneurial ecosystem focusing on rural needs around Independence. Without an existing nonprofit to partner with, we formed Indy Idea Hub as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. I serve as the part-time Executive Director, and we also have a part-time Food System Manager focused on providing technical advice to food-based businesses. We are strictly grant-funded, and our projects correlate to the funding we receive. The organization operates from Indy Commons, using the space for meetings, events, and technical assistance programs, which is an in-kind donation to the organization.

Public Service

After moving to Independence, it didn’t take long for me to start getting involved in the community.  From the Independence Downtown Association, Parks & Recreation Committee, Planning Commission, Pacific Power Regional Advisory Board, City Council, MINET Board, and SEDCOR Executive Council, I’m happy to serve where my time and skills can make a difference.  Which is why I’m excited to run for Mayor of Independence - my background and experience make me uniquely qualified to lead during this time of transition.  Together we can make Independence a place where all members of our community can thrive while retaining our rural community values and guiding responsible growth.