As a 23-year resident of Balboa Peninsula, parent, and taxpayer, I will work tirelessly for our students, families and community as your Trustee in Area 5. My husband and I are heavily invested in raising our family in this amazing community. I am a licensed Pediatric Occupational Therapist, having worked at CHOC, in school systems, and in home-health settings serving children with special needs and developmental delays. I earned a Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Boston University where I was a Division 1 athlete on the crew team, competing at the national level.

I have two children currently attending Newport Harbor High School and are proud graduates of both Newport Elementary and Ensign Intermediate. I am acutely aware of what makes our schools great, and what challenges lie ahead. I stepped away from my rewarding profession to focus on my family when my son was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes. As a result, I know the unique challenges parents face when their child requires special accommodations at school.

I will champion the needs of students, parents, and taxpayers, fighting to ensure every child has access to a world class education. In particular, I plan to focus on: educational excellence, parent engagement, fiscal transparency and campus safety.

Service, not politics, is core to who I am. My father was a West Point graduate who proudly served our country in the Army and the United Nations and my mother was a nurse. I know the value of taking care of our families and our students. I am a committed volunteer with a long history of working alongside parents, teachers, the community and businesses to improve our schools.

Over the past 13 years, I have served NMUSD in various volunteer roles such as: Newport Elementary School PTA, Newport Elementary School Foundation, Ensign Intermediate School PTA President, Ensign Intermediate School Foundation, Newport Harbor High School PTA President, Newport Harbor High School Foundation, Newport Harbor Water Polo Boosters and the Harbor Council PTA Executive Board. I am involved in the National League for Young Men, recently serving on the Fall Philanthropy Committee.

I am your neighbor. I will always listen to your concerns and make balanced, clear-headed decisions. I look forward to humbly serving you as your Area 5 Trustee with commitment, courage and common sense.

I respectfully ask for your vote.