Although I was born in Colorado, I grew up in the U.S. Air Force, and spent limited time in Colorado until my senior year of high school. At that time, my father moved to his last station in Colorado Springs before retiring. As a kid, I visited Denver occasionally, mostly when living in Cheyenne and predominantly to wait in line at Casa Bonita! I aspired to be a veterinarian and always hoped to attend Colorado State University and their vet school. After finishing high school, I did indeed go to CSU and obtained a BS in Microbiology and MS in Epidemiology. After a short stint in HIV research after graduating, I found employment at the Colorado Department of Agriculture and 25 years later feel honored to have dedicated my career to civil service.
As both a scientist and a long-time unaffiliated voter (circa 2000), I believe in research and facts before making decisions, including how to vote. I have certainly regretted some of the candidates I have voted for and have learned along the way that I don't prescribe to affiliating with a political party that tells me how to think or stand on certain issues. When I learned of the Forward merger on Instagram in 2022, I was intrigued. A bottom-up party that wants to bring communities together to discuss local issues and solutions is very appealing to me. More than anything I want to see voting reform succeed and candidates be elected that win by a majority, a proper reflection of the will of the people. I am disgusted when I hear about repeated voter suppression in the US and want to see all willing people be able to vote, regardless of demographic or socioeconomic status.
I am proud to live in Colorado and believe strongly that this state strives to be inclusive in policy making and improving the lives of its citizens. It’s encouraging that the Forward Party sees Colorado’s potential and I am excited to help move this effort forward! Service to others is an important value to me, especially to people in my community and Colorado. I enjoy volunteering currently for Forward and want to continue. I have never been politically active and volunteering with Forward these last 10 months has been a huge learning curve for me. I graciously ask for your consideration to be part of the Colorado Forward Executive Committee. Although I bring no political experience to this operation, I believe I bring thoughtfulness, reliability, research skills, creativity, trust and openness to learn new skills and help represent Forward in a meaningful way.