MY STORY

WHY I’M RUNNING
I’m running for state senator because the people of Senate District 9 need a legislator who will represent them, not special interests. As the people’s representative, I will help protect their personal rights and freedoms and extend equality and justice for all.  I will work to end government overreach into their personal life and health decisions. The most personal decisions people make are about their bodies and identities. No government should interfere with the fundamental right of the people to make those personal decisions.

The top issues that resonate with the people are Education, Healthcare, Housing, and the Environment. These issues are complex, intersect with each other, and are affected by personal economy.

Economy – The economy is all about personal income and having access to local goods and services. I will work to enact a living wage, provide worker paid leave, and remove barriers to worker compensation payments. Paid workers are self-sufficient; they provide tax revenue and put money back into the economy. I will work to increase the business presence in rural Virginia while protecting our rural landscape.

Education – Our students deserve a high-quality education. I will work to get equitable teacher and staff pay, free breakfast and lunch for students, funding for student school supplies, and modernization of school buildings and classroom equipment. I will work to protect choice of available library books.

Healthcare – Good health is the most important aspect of our lives. I will work to make healthcare affordable, reduce the cost of prescription medicine, provide a state Medicare for All option, and increase access to medical facilities within local communities. I will work to protect reproductive freedom.

Housing – No one should be homeless in a country as rich as the United States of America. I will work to prevent investor-owned housing because it causes homelessness to make money for corporations and stockholders. I will work to support community land trusts to build affordable housing.

Clean Environment – Pollution- and chemical-free land, air, and water sustain the natural resources that sustain life. I will work to strengthen environmental protections, protect valuable agricultural and forestry land, and increase efforts to reduce, reuse, repurpose, and recycle non-biodegradable materials. I will work to enact sensible solar growth policies.

MY BACKGROUND
I was born and raised in Michigan. In high school, I was inducted into the Honor Society and received the John & Elizabeth Whitely Business Award for Outstanding Student. I enlisted in the U.S. Air Force after high school graduation, received an Administrative Specialist Course Honor Graduate certificate, worked as a Legal Services Specialist, and received an honorable discharge. I moved to Virginia in 1990 and to Lunenburg County in 1998.

My work experience includes the military, civil service, private sector, retail, and substitute teacher. I’ve always felt a calling to serve, so while my children were growing up, I volunteered with the church, PTA, homeowners’ association, Cub Scouts, Brownie Girl Scouts, and Little League.

Since moving to Lunenburg, I graduated magna cum laude from Longwood University with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology and a concentration in Criminal Justice. At the graduate level, I received a Certificate in Social Policy Administration, also from Longwood University. As a student there, I volunteered with the Longwood University Commuter Student Association, was placed on the National Dean’s List twice, was inducted into Pinnacle, Alpha Kappa Delta, Omicron Delta Kappa, and Lambda Alpha Epsilon. I also received two Citizen Leader Awards: St. Joan of Arc Visionary and Most Contributions to Commuter Life. Outside of college, I volunteered with the Friends of the Victoria Public Library and Lunenburg County Chamber of Commerce.

Use of military rank, titles, or photographs in uniform do not imply endorsement by the Department of the U.S. Air Force or the Department of Defense.

Virginia
has elections every year.