For nearly 20 years I have served as a senior-level administrator in the solid waste and recycling industry, administering all components of a multi-million business. From recycling education to environmental consulting to landfill operations, I have provided hundreds of thousands of customers with affordable, convenient, environmentally-sound waste management services.

Working on the statewide level, I have led efforts to change both statutes and regulations to make recycling more affordable and sustainable.  In 2015, I worked with Senator Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay) and my colleagues to bring an additional $2.3 million to local recycling grants.  I am currently working with state and federal regulators on standards to keep people safe from PFAS, the "forever chemicals."

In 2016 I was elected to County Board.  Serving for 3 terms on county board I chaired not only the Health Care Center Committee, but also the Diversity Affairs and Inclusion Committee.  With a determined focus on "saving the Health Care Center" I built capacity around the 2 successful referendums which will ensure the county has nursing care for our elderly and disabled well into the future.  

At the same time as serving on County Board, I have served on City Council.  I am in my 7th term as Council President and chair the Finance Committee.  During my time on Council I led the effort to move the Police Department from the basement of the Courthouse to its new headquarters on Michigan Avenue.

As a co-founder of the Friends of Emerson Park, a grassroots organization of neighbors of the Old Main and Jefferson School area, I have watched what happens when these neighbors work together to implement a plan to create a beautiful Park at the Heart.  With a target of $900,000 for the complete redevelopment, successful fundraising and a solid plan will result in a new playground area in place by the end of November 2022.

In 2011/2012 I had the great honor to serve as adjunct faculty in UWSP's Waste Resources & Soil Program.  Collaborating with a colleague, we redesigned the curriculum for the introductory and advanced waste management classes.  And I have been able to extend the education experience by employing two dozen interns from this major.  All of which are working around the country at jobs that protect the environment. I continue to mentor students entering the STEM fields.

At the age of 45 I graduated from University of Wisconsin Green Bay with a B.S. in Environmental Policy & Planning.  I graduated summa cum laude and with a distinction in the major.  I received the Chancellor's Leadership Medallion and am a Morris K. Udall Congressional Scholar for Excellence in National Environmental Policy.  In 2017 I became a UWGB Environmental Management & Business Institute Earth Caretaker. 

In my private life I am a member of Wisconsin's Green Fire Science Council and the Committee on Contaminants of Emerging Concern.  I am a board member for JusticeWorks, an organization dedicated to restorative justice and building capacity in those caught in the criminal justice systems.  As well, I just joined the board of Difficult Discussions, a group founded by UWSP students and focused on creating equity and dismantling marginalization.