As a fifth generation Oklahoman, I am inspired by what our state and its citizens can accomplish when we’re at our best, working together as neighbors. 

Growing up in Chandler, a little more than a city block off of Route 66, I learned to value the strength, friendliness, and work ethic of Oklahoma’s communities. When I was sixteen, my family moved to Seminole where I was one of twenty-eight graduates from Strother Public Schools. I spent most of my free time as a kid outside trekking through the woods,  fishing at a family pond, or at the lake playing water games with my sisters, cousins, and grandparents. I even did a little hunting, but fishing is still one of my very favorite ways to spend a day. 

My parents placed a high priority on education, ensuring that my three sisters and I had the opportunity to attend fantastic Oklahoma public schools and pursue whatever career paths we felt called to follow. After graduating from OSU I taught fifth graders in Bartlesville for a year. I returned to Stillwater when I married my husband Barry in 2001, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to teach in Pawnee for most of my public school teaching career. I earned my master’s degree in Literacy/Library Media in 2004. I absolutely loved serving as a school library media specialist, supporting students’ learning interests and fostering a love of reading, but in 2006, I returned to graduate school one more time because I wanted to affect wider change in education.

I have been at OSU for the last fifteen years, most recently as Literacy Education faculty, where I’ve had the honor to prepare teachers to serve across the state until January 2024 when I left the university to pursue this opportunity to serve Senate District 21.

I have consistently advocated for our public schools as spaces where we come together across communities to meet our children’s needs, nurture their dreams, and work with intention to offer every child a sense of belonging. Public schools are the bedrock of our democracy and vital to a thriving economy. While there is still work to be done, public schools remain the best space to offer our children access to the American dream.

Barry and I are both enormously proud of our two children, Emery (almost 18) and Carver (10). They both attend Stillwater Public Schools, and Emery is excited to cast one of her first votes for her mom. I’d be honored to have your vote too!