I am an active community volunteer including five years on my local school’s Community Council, three years as chair (2018-2021). I introduced the annual Graduate Parade. A day where graduating seniors who attended our elementary, return in their graduation regalia and march through the school. The graduating seniors get celebrated and the elementary students get inspired. I have served for years with PTA including 3 years on the board and 1 year as president. I organized a Ruby Bridges Walk in 2022, and coordinated volunteers for school shirts, Art Night, Literacy Week, Loved Ones and Donuts, Food Drive, Red Ribbon week, and Field Day . I am currently chair of the school play committee. We are proud to present Matilda Jr in April. I have served in my church as president over the very large children’s organization where my favorite task was teaching music and singing.

Seven years ago, I joined Parks & Arts Board and I’ve been serving in my city ever since. As chair of the Parks and Arts Board (2018 & 2019), I helped plan many city events such as the city Kite Festival and Halloween 3k. I started the Summer Trails series and instituted the Parks & Arts annual report to city council.

In Jan 2020, I accepted a position as an NSL Planning Commissioner where I made decisions about code changes, variances and Hatch Park redevelopment. In 2021, I ran for NSL City Council and was elected that year.

As part of the city council, I make decisions surrounding our city’s annual budget, planning processes and code, public works projects, golf course and many other. As part of the NSL Health and Wellness committee, I helped create a series of “Unity in the Community” events which have sought to connect residents and celebrate Latino Heritage, Juneteenth and Pride.

I helped the city partner with Utah State University for the Utah Well-being Project which assesses well-being and local perspectives of city residents. NSL results from this research are already helping to inform decision making in the city. I also piloted several school outreach programs such as elementary field trips to the city golf course, a junior high field trip to the city courts, elementary student council members partnering with the city’s Youth Council for Food Pantry distribution, and a “5th graders golf free” program for 5th graders in our city who can try out the city golf course for free.

I joined the teaching faculty in the Family & Consumer Studies department at the University of Utah over 15 years ago. I teach classes on research methods, child development, family processes and one of my current favorites – ‘Families, Schools & Communities’ – this class is about practical and meaningful engagement among families, schools and communities and how they come together to create the best possible environments for child and family success.

I am also an ongoing contributor for ABC4 “Good Things Utah” where I share tips on family life, parenting and relationships. You can watch me talk about Core Principles in Parenting, Healing yourself through Parenting, Positive Parenting might be setting you up to Fail, Rupture and Repair in Parenting, kids and technology among many others.

My husband, JJ, and I have four daughters who are bright, energetic and wonderful. I am active in their school and activities.

JJ and I make a great team. He is my biggest supporter in this campaign and in life. In our free time, we like to travel, sit quietly in our yard, do puzzles, watch shows, plan, dream, spend one-on-one time with our girls, do yard projects and just be together.