Candidate, South Dakota State House of Representatives, District 12, 2014

Candidate, South Dakota House of Representatives, District 12, 2012

Commissioner of Finance/Revenue, City of Sioux Falls, 1986

No caucus information on file.

Teacher, Augustana College

Teacher, Centerville High School

Executive Director, South Dakota Voices for Children

Director of Operations/Development, Volunteers of America

Past President/Board Member, All Souls Church

Board Member, Natural Foods Cooperation

Co-Chair, Pettigrew Heights Triangle Improvement Project

Vice President, Sioux Falls Stockyards Heritage Center

Awards:

Voices for America's Children, Florette Angel Memorial Child Advocacy Award given to an outstanding executive director, 2012
Pennington County Bar Association, Liberty Bell Award given to a non-lawyer for community service promoting principles of American government and freedom under law, 2012
Associated School Boards of South Dakota, School Bell Award given to a non-educator for substantial accomplishments on behalf of education, 2011
South Dakota Association for the Education of Young Children, Leadership Award, 2011
South Dakota Education Association/NEA: Human and Civil Rights Award, 2003

Reason for Seeking Public Office:

I decided to run for the House this spring because I want to move our state forward to address the challenges before us in education, health care, and economic development. I'm ready to take my years of experience and put them to work as a state legislator. Experience that includes

Public service in municipal government (where I learned first-hand the responsibilities of our various levels of government in South Dakota--municipal, school district, county, state and federal);
Years of research and teaching in sociology--both political and community sociology;
Years of executive leadership in the nonprofit sector--developing programs that respond to community need, making payrolls, supervising staff, collaborating with a board of directors;
Years of advocating for the well-being of children, working with Democrats, Republicans and community leaders to move policy forward;
Years of launching a small business and meeting customer's needs;
And, years of raising my own family here in District 12--confronting the challenges of a two-parent working family.