Rooted in Alaska, Committed to East Anchorage’s Future
I was born to homesteaders in the Mentasta Mountains near Glennallen, and my early childhood was spent in some of Alaska’s most beautiful and remote areas. I grew up between our family’s homesteads in the Mentastas and on the Yukon River, Lake Iliamna, and Kodiak, where my mother commercial fished after my parents separated. When I was six, my mother and I moved to Anchorage to live with my grandparents while she attended college.
I began my education at the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) and later completed my degree in Environmental Science at Metropolitan State University in Denver. After graduation, I worked for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and a local environmental consulting firm, BGES.
My involvement in community issues began in 2021 after an accident on our street convinced me of the need for speed bumps. I wrote and passed a resolution through the Scenic Foothills Community Council, and after the municipality conducted a speed study, the speed bumps were installed. This experience ignited my passion for advocacy, and I now serve as the Vice President of the Scenic Foothills Community Council.
At the same time, I became involved in the fight against an unconstitutional gerrymander that would have shifted East Anchorage’s Senate representation to Eagle River. After more than a year of advocacy and a lawsuit, we won, ensuring East Anchorage kept its rightful representation.
That same year, I co-founded Anchorage Action to push back against the divisive national issues and culture wars affecting our community. I also advocated against the Bronson administration’s plan to build a 1,000-bed shelter in East Anchorage and volunteered many hours at Centennial Campground when it became a camp for the unhoused. In 2022, I helped found the Alaska Current, a journalistic collective that connects Alaskans with local issues ranging from politics to culture.
Through my advocacy work, I’ve come to understand how affordable housing is deeply connected to issues like homelessness, outmigration, and the stability of working families. As a candidate for the Anchorage Assembly, I’m focused on tackling housing, government transparency, community safety, and homelessness. My commitment is to listen and work to ensure that everyone in our community can thrive.
I’ve been married to my husband, Tim, for 20 years and spent nearly a decade as a stay-at-home mom raising our two children, both of whom attend Anchorage School District schools. I currently serve as a legislative aide for Independent Representative Alyse Galvin. I would be honored to have your support in next April’s municipal election.