My local activism has grown naturally out of friendships with neighbors and a desire to see our whole city thrive. In service on task forces, committees, my neighborhood association, budget analysis groups, and civic advocacy organizations, I have insisted on comprehensive outreach, solid understanding of facts on the ground, excellence in design, ecological soundness, and advancement of equity. I am a past Azalea Award recipient and also served as a co-president of the Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School. I led the Pinecrest Community Association, helped get a playground built there, and successfully advocated for missing sidewalk sections. I absolutely love listening to people’s diverse perspectives, and seeking understanding and common ground from which to move forward. For the past two years, I have served Ward 3 Councilmember Randy Gibson as a researcher, advisor, and sounding board.
Like many Takoma Park residents, I believe that we belong to this particular two-square-mile place for as long as we live here, and that we’re obligated to pass this place on better than we found it. That belief has animated me for a long time, and it will come through in how I engage in City Council meetings, in conversations with colleagues and staff, and in communications with you.
Education
- Masters in Public Administration, UNC-Chapel Hill
- Graduate study, Land Use Policy (U. of Idaho) and Human Ecosystem Management (U-MD College Park)
Relevant Work Experience
- Consultant, Wake County (NC) Stormwater Management Plan
- Assistant to the Superintendent, District of Columbia Public Schools
- Service Improvement Specialist, City of Durham, North Carolina
- Youth Diversity Trainer, The National Conference, Washington, DC
- Study author, “The Human Ecosystem of the Anacostia Watershed.”
- 30-year high school teacher, including courses in ecology, geography
City Government Volunteer Experience
- Appointed to Takoma Junction Task Force, Secretary, Community Engagement Team Co-Chair (2012 Azalea Award for this work)
- Appointed to City Manager Search Committee
- Appointed to the Parking Management Task Force
- Frequent budget analyst and community engagement leader
- Participation: Public Space Management Plan, Minor Master Plan Amendment process, New Hampshire Avenue economic development, park clean-ups and trail maintenance, bike route designs, stormwater action, Sligo Mill Overlook playground process, Takoma Junction project review process, Community Vision for Takoma
- Helped advocate successfully for missing sidewalk segments to get completed on Columbia, Allegheny, Fourth, Orchard, Sligo Mill Road.
- Past nominee and candidate, Takoma Park mayor (2009, 2020) and ward representative (2014)
- Researcher, sounding board, and advisor on a weekly basis for current Ward 3 Councilmember Randall Gibson
More Volunteer Experience
- Volunteer, rural community health infrastructure: Mexico, Dominican Republic, Camden NJ
- Board Co-President, Takoma Park Cooperative Nursery School
- Founding plot-holder, Sligo Mill Overlook Community Garden
- President, Pinecrest Community Association
- Facilitator, white anti-racist educators’ affinity/action groups
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