About me
I’m a retired elementary school teacher of 24 years, and I served on the Sitka assembly prior to being elected to the Legislature. On the Assembly, I led the effort to plan for a boom in cruise tourism, co-sponsored resolutions to protect salmon streams and decarbonize city operations.
In the 33rd Legislature I served on the House Education, Community and Regional Affairs, and Fisheries committees. The first legislation to pass both houses during the 33rd Legislature was a resolution I sponsored to support the trollers against the ill-informed lawsuit out of Washington.
As a member of the bipartisan majority coalition in the 34th Legislature I was pleased to serve as the co-chair for both the House Education and the Community and Regional Affairs Committees, as well as serving on the House Special Committee on Fisheries and the State Affairs Committee. Our coalition formed with the goals of restoring a meaningful pension for public employees and improving stability for our schools. There is much work left to do!
Over my years of service I have visited every community in House District 2 at least once, and many of them multiple times. Spanning 500 miles from Yakutat to Hydaburg, there are other districts in Alaska as vast as HD2, but no other district is as dynamic and diverse.
In 2020, I was elected to the Sitka Assembly, where I served as liaison to the Sitka School Board and the Tree and Landscape Committee. In 2022 I was elected to represent House District 2, the coastal communities from Yakutat to Hydaburg. As a member of the Education Committee, the Community and Regional Affairs Committee, and the Special Committee on Fisheries, I am using my experience as an educator, a local elected official, and an advocate for healthy ecosystems to bring my district’s voice to the decisions that are made in Juneau.
In 2023, the first legislation to pass both houses was House Joint Resolution 5, which advocated for the State of Alaska to put its full force behind the trollers of Southeast in their defense against a misplaced lawsuit out of Washington State. As the sponsor of HJR 5, I am pleased and relieved our trollers were able to fish king salmon in 2023, and I stand ready to defend Southeast fisheries going forward.
Over the years I have visited the communities of House District 2 multiple times and am deeply grateful for the opportunity to work on behalf of these special places. Talking with people and learning from them is the best part of the job. It remains my honor to represent the amazing people who call this region home in the Alaska Legislature.
In three decades as an educator, I have been lucky enough to serve students and families in diverse settings: as a National Parks Education Specialist at Katmai National Park in Southwest Alaska; a classroom teacher in Sand Point, Alaska; a science center educator in Kuwait; a private school teacher in Hawaii; and for seventeen years, an elementary teacher in Sitka.
I have received state and national recognition as an educator, including the Albert Einstein Distinguished Educator Fellowship, the Presidential Award for Excellence in Math and Science Teaching, Alaska Junior Achievement Teacher of the Year, and Teacher at Sea through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. I was appointed to the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development by Governor Walker in 2016, and I have served in several leadership positions in NEA-Alaska.
Because I value continuous improvement and am a proud lifelong learner I have benefited from some valuable opportunities to improve myself as a legislator. In 2024 I attended the Western Legislative Academy with the Council of State Governments (CSG), and in 2025 I was honored to be selected as a Toll Fellow with the same organization. With so much riding on the decisions we make in Juneau, I believe it is my responsibility to continuously improve my professional practice.
Experience
