Candidate for
Member of Council; City of Cincinnati

I want to bring my community building and advocacy experience to Cincinnati City Council. I have a long record of leadership and commitment in my professional and volunteer efforts.

EARLY YEARS

My mother attended Smith College, then Cornell University while she raised my 3 sister and I - teaching us the vital importance of education. My father ran a small poetry printing press in San Francisco in his early years- later returning to his native Boston where my parents met- he taught me the love of city, the love of politics.

I attended and graduated from Reed College in Portland, Oregon with a degree in Psychology. I moved to Cincinnati to attend graduate school at the University of Cincinnati, where I met my husband Chris. We have 4 children and 4 grandchildren together.

In 1996 our son Michael was born. At birth he was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy and we came to know first-hand the struggles of navigating medical and social service systems to help him. Today, Michael is 16 and fiercely independent, despite the challenges he faces.

ADVOCACY

When Michael turned four years old, I returned to graduate school to complete my degree in social work at the University of Cincinnati. An "Introduction to Policy" class had a significant impact on me. I was captivated by the opportunity to effect change at a broader level than what I had been able to while practicing individual casework. I have been involved in policy advocacy ever since.

In the years following completion of graduate school I participated in coalition-building and legislative work in a variety of settings including housing, food access, and employment for individuals with disabilities. While working at City Hall for former Vice-Mayor David Crowley I was responsible for drafting legislative proposals related to human services, crime, housing, and the environment.

PROFESSIONAL

I worked for years with individuals with mental illness and substance abuse, later worked at City Hall, and then was hired to manage training grants in partnership with local trade unions and other workforce development partners. Today I works for a regional labor-management fund to tackle industry issues of mutual interest of business and labor partners such as transportation funding, family-supporting wages, and workforce development.