About Me

I didn’t grow up on a straight or easy path, but my experiences have taught me to meet hard moments with resilience and purpose. 

I was raised in a small rural community where people lived by their word, worked hard, and were expected to take care of themselves and those around them. Those expectations were not spoken, but they were understood. From an early age, I learned that if I wanted something, I would have to earn it through hard work, discipline, and determination.

After September 11, like many Americans, something shifted in me. I felt a pull to serve, to stand up, and to do my part. That led me to enlist in the United States Army, as a 13W Meteorological Crewmember.  It was a role that demanded intelligence, discipline, and precision, and it reinforced the values of accountability, teamwork, and service that continue to guide me today.

That path to serve continued when I later joined the fire service. I stood beside families in crisis and worked alongside individuals who dedicated themselves to protecting others. It is a kind of service that stays with you. I stood with people on the worst days of their lives. I carried a weight that most never see. 

An injury later ended that chapter sooner than expected and it required starting over in a way I had not planned. The transition was not immediate or simple. It was a blow that could have broken me. But it didn’t. It became another moment where I chose to rise. Starting over was not easy. I did not have a college degree. I did not have a polished resume. What I had was grit, discipline, and the ability to solve problems. 

Over time, I moved into operations, then project management, and eventually procurement. Today, I manage national scale procurement operations with responsibility for multi-million-dollar budgets. I am known for seeing problems before they become expensive, negotiating fair deals, and keeping complex systems running smoothly. I built that career the same way I built my life one step at a time, with no excuses and no shortcuts. 

Looking back, the thread running through each chapter has stayed consistent: a focus on responsibility, a habit of working through challenges, and a steady commitment to service, even when the roles changed.

That perspective is what I bring. Not shaped by theory, but by experience, setbacks, and rebuilding even when the path forward was not clear. 

Families in Rosemount, Eagan, and Apple Valley are living through their own version of that same reality. Working hard, managing pressure, and trying to build stability in a time that feels uncertain. My experiences are what connects my story to this community.

And they’re what led me to step forward. To take what I have learned through each chapter and apply it to the place I call home.

My story has not been one of privilege or luck. It is a story of persistence. A story of resilience. A story of refusing to let where I started decide where I would end up. Through military service, fire service, injury, rebuilding, and working hard I have stayed grounded in the values I learned growing up: take care of your neighbors, work hard, and stand back up when life knocks you down.

Where you start does not decide where you finish. I want you to know who I am at my core. I am someone who gets back up, someone who works, and someone who shows up for the people around me. This community has shaped me, supported me, and given me purpose. I will always do everything I can to give that back.