working together for results!

In my first term, I’ve successfully championed laws to help our families, schools and businesses thrive, including initiatives such as:

 ·       Protecting victims of crime and holding criminals accountable.

·       Prioritizing mental health and addiction prevention and recovery funding and supports for individuals and families who are struggling.

·       Putting money back into our pockets through one of the largest state income tax cuts in Ohio history.

·       Bringing resources to our region to help our children, our workforce and our businesses get back on track as they continue to emerge from the pandemic.

·       Equipping our police and first responders with training and supports to help our communities stay safe and tackle violent crime.

·       Leading the fight for access to affordable child care and quality early learning – to help both our current and future workforce.

·       Lowering costs for farmers to grow their crops to help reduce food prices for everyone.

·       Supporting our veterans and assisting our military families with education reforms to help their children stay on track as they move into and out of Ohio.

·       Expanding telehealth and access to speech and hearing services for our children, seniors and Ohioans in underserved areas.

·       Helping hundreds of local citizens solve problems and cut through red tape to find vital services.

In addition to these and more legislative initiatives, I’ve also led as vice chair of the Criminal Justice Committee, and served on the Health, Economic and Workforce Development, Government Oversight and Civil Justice Committees.  Additionally, I serve as Chair of the Ohio Children’s Trust Fund Board, focused on preventing child abuse and neglect through strategies, training and resources for parents, physicians and other professionals.  Key initiatives: the free online Triple P Positive Parenting Program, resources to combat infant mortality, human trafficking, promote childhood safety and more. As Joint Chair of the state’s child care study committee, I am working with a statewide collaborative group to spearhead recommendations to help ensure access to high quality child care and sustain publicly funded support so more individuals can enter the workforce.  I am also a member of the Ohio Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Commission.

My Background

As I’ve served in the General Assembly these past two years, I have drawn extensively on our region’s input and my diverse experiences working as a small business owner, family advocate, elected clerk of court and community volunteer. 

My background includes serving as Clerk of Court for Kettering Municipal Court, representing Centerville, Kettering, Washington Township and Moraine. With my team, I focused on leveraging technology, reinventing processes and cutting costs to improve services and return millions in revenues and savings to taxpayers.  

Along with public sector work, I have extensive private sector experience. Before coming to the court, I ran a small business for more than 15 years providing communications and process improvement solutions for small and large companies and non-profit organizations. I’ve also been fortunate to work for a statewide organization to increase inclusion and eliminate barriers for Ohioans with developmental disabilities and served as a hospital communications professional.  

My drive to bring change for the good extends into our community where I’ve led and worked alongside many dedicated individuals to launch initiatives to address teen alcohol and drug prevention and addiction, hunger, criminal justice issues and building positive life skills so key to mental health. 

Volunteer roles have included co-founding the South Suburban Coalition and supporting youth-led prevention in five area high schools including Fairmont, Oakwood, Alter, Centerville and Miamisburg.  As a long-time board member and chair for Kettering’s Partners for Healthy Youth, a city-school-community collaboration, I worked to find solutions to issues facing our children and families. As part of the region’s effort to combat the opioid epidemic and substance misuse, I served on the Montgomery County Overdose Action Team, the Montgomery County Drug-Free coalition and the Montgomery County Prevention Coalition. And for more than a decade, I led community and faith organizations in coming together to create a summer-long experience that connects youth in an under-resourced neighborhood with food and caring mentors. 

On the state level, I worked to improve criminal justice issues by serving as legislative co-chair and past president of the Ohio Association of Municipal/County Court Clerks before joining the Legislature.

My educational background includes graduating from Centerville High School and Wright State University, and my husband John and I have lived and raised our family in Kettering. for most of our adult lives.

I’ve learned a lot working alongside many dedicated, creative individuals in our communities and I remain focused on bringing people together to solve problems and drive change for the good. 

You can count on my commitment to listening and working with everyone to make a difference for our community in Columbus. I respectfully ask for your vote to continue to serve as your State Representative!