Manager of Public Affairs

 

 

 

As the daughter of a union leader and a health care access advocate, I like to joke that I had no other choice than to work in policy. Luckily for me, public policy, politics, and advocacy are all passions of mine.

Although I was born in Des Moines, I spent my childhood growing up on the Mississippi in Dubuque, Iowa. At the age of ten I was diagnosed with Non-verbal Learning Disorder and struggled through my early teen years learning to advocate for myself. With the help of my dedicated mother, I found my voice and promised to use it to speak up for other people with disabilities. Advocacy isn’t just a career for me – it is something that I depended upon for many years and is now a well-trained skill of mine.

I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Grand View University in 2018 with majors in Political Science and Public Administration and a minor in Sociology. While at Grand View, I held many internships – including working with the Iowa Senate Democratic Caucus Staff in 2015-2016 as a Public Relations and Media intern and as the Public Policy and Advocacy Intern for Lutheran Services in Iowa.

My career in policy started with a position in research, where I identified the top policy issues in all 50 states and tracked each state and federal level candidate’s issue positions. Beyond this, I also worked in public policy and advocacy focusing on the areas of early childhood, education, agriculture, and workforce development. I am currently pursuing my master’s in Communications, Public Affairs and Advocacy from Drake University with a focus on environmental and labor policy.

I live in Des Moines with my husband, and two kids. When I’m not in school or at work, I am very involved in the Des Moines Metro community – I am a proud graduate of the New Leaders Council 2021 cohort, president of the PTO at my daughter’s elementary school and regularly volunteer for various campaigns. I also enjoy fashion, crafting and video games.