I currently serve as the Executive Director of ROOTS Young Adult Shelter, where I lead efforts to provide emergency shelter, housing support, mental health resources, and employment opportunities for young adults ages 18 to 25. I have secured millions in public and private funding to grow and strengthen services for the community. My work focuses on building strong community partnerships and creating clear, sustainable pathways to long-term stability.

Before this, I served in senior leadership positions, including Senior Director of Housing Services at YouthCare. There, I oversaw complex housing programs, built and supported diverse teams, participated in and lead numerous coalitions and policy groups, and managed large budgets. Throughout my career, I’ve worked to bridge the gap between policy and practice, making sure frontline systems are not only effective, but also humane and accessible.

Being a parent to a child with special needs has also deeply shaped how I lead and advocate. Navigating education, healthcare, insurance, and support systems firsthand has shown me how complicated and fragmented and expensive they can be for families. As a transgender woman and proud member of the LGBTQ community, I also bring lived experience of navigating systems that were not built with people like me in mind. These experiences ground my commitment to dignity, inclusion, safety, and representation, and to building public institutions that truly serve everyone.

My leadership style is collaborative, practical, and focused on results. I believe in bringing people together across sectors and communities, listening, and asking tough questions, while staying centered on what works. Whether strengthening organizations, partnerships, or public systems, I approach my work with a long-term perspective, guided by compassion, accountability, and a steady commitment to improving the lives of the people and communities I serve.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, traveling, and gardening. Time with my family keeps me grounded and present, whether we are building imaginative worlds with my son, writing stories together, exploring a new park, hiking, fishing, or diving into big questions about science and nature.

Gardening offers a quieter but equally meaningful balance and teaches patience, consistency, and care as I nurture things over time and watch them grow. It is also a way we give back, since we donate much of the food we grow to a local shelter and help stock the community food box outside our home, sharing what we have cultivated with neighbors who need it. Together, these parts of my life reflect the values that guide me, including curiosity, creativity, stewardship, generosity, and a commitment to cultivating environments where people and communities can truly thrive.