I moved to southwest Portland in 1997 to lead a land conservation organization, drawn by the forested hills and trails of the west side and a mission to protect the natural beauty. What started as a job became my passion and my home. In the years since, I've built a career as a small business owner, worked as a professional leadership coach, and stayed involved as a school and community volunteer and historic preservationist as well as a member of the Oregon State Bar. I'm a commercial landlord and take seriously what that responsibility means to small business tenants and the surrounding community. 

That range of experience — building organizations, running a business, coaching leaders through change, staying rooted in one neighborhood for 30 years — is what I bring to council. I'm a newcomer to elected office, but not to this city's work.