Leadership

Growing up in South Dakota and moving to the Twin Cities for college means I am a hardworking, midwesterner through and through! After graduating from the University of Minnesota in 2004 - I spent a year in Seattle, Washington working in the great outdoors with EarthCorp, a non-profit specializing in reforestation and restoration work. Trail building in the mountains was my favorite! At the end of the program, I returned to Minneapolis to continue volunteering at various non-profits throughout the Cities. I began working at Feed My Starving Children in 2006. I worked in a number of roles however - my favorite position was creating and overseeing “The MarketPlace.” In this role I had the honor of connecting with artisans around the world to purchase and promote their beautiful, handmade items in order to create additional economic growth through fair, sustainable wages - especially for women. In 2017 I left FMSC to work with local, non-profit organizations to help them create online stores to promote their great work. At the same time, I pursued my real estate license which I've maintained for the past 6 years. I enjoy helping friends and family find houses throughout the Twin Cities. I believes housing is a basic human right. Joining the St. Paul Affordability Task Force and helping create the first YIMBY (Yes in My Backyard) chapter in Minnesota are a few ways in which I hope to work towards sustainable, affordable and abundant housing for ALL in the Twin Cities and beyond.

I'm a Twin Cities native who loves calling Minnesota home. I grew up in Plymouth and Richfield, spent my twenties in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, and bought my first home in Columbia Heights. I now own my dream property in Andover that allows me to garden, grow apples, and support a robust pollinator population. From a young age, my single mother instilled the importance of giving back to people in our community. The value of each person and their right to be housed, fed, and clothed. Because simply, they are people and it's a human right. While attending college in Iowa, I engaged in grassroots organizing for a political campaign. I learned first hand the power of people uniting for a cause. I spent a summer in Baltimore living in an intentional community focused on nuclear weapon disarmament. I'm passionate about working with others to improve the greater good of the people in our communities. I worked in advising, coaching, and product operations for an education company downtown for 8 years. I loved the people I worked with and the students we served, but when the pandemic hit it was a turning point, a time to refocus my time and energy. I developed an interest in housing through my post college AmeriCorps service; a program that equipped high school youth with skills in home renovation while supporting community rehabilitation. This grew into a passion for guiding others through the home ownership process and teaching folx how to leverage generational wealth building through real estate. After getting licensed in 2020, I discovered the network professionals in this industry who are also passionate about housing affordability, housing as a human right, and ensuring accessibility to the stability of home ownership. When I'm not assisting clients or volunteering for community causes, you can find me walking a bear sized dog or enjoying live music at a local venue with my husband. I enjoy hiking, biking, birding and gardening. I also like to sponsor events or volunteer with organizations close to my heart. I believe we each have the power to weave the fabric of strong, interconnected communities that thrive, collectively.

I live with my two teenagers, their father, and a Shihtzu named Stella in St. Paul. We have happily been renting our home for 6 years. I work primarily in the Twin Cities region. Home has always been important to me - thinking about it, longing for it, and helping individuals and families build it. Before I was eighteen years old, I had lived in a dozen+ homes in various cities throughout the US. I learned first-hand how disruptive moving often is on a child, even when it’s within the same city, but especially when it’s cross-country. During my formative years, I lived in Mississippi with my mom where I witnessed blatant racial discrimination - from attending a mostly segregated parochial school to hearing stories from my mom about her childhood growing up in rural Mississippi to seeing Ku Klux Klan members "marketing" on street corners. As a child, I was horrified and confused by all of it. It's a feeling that has stayed with me decades later. My educational background is architecture and urban planning. While studying urban planning, I became interested in patterns of neighborhood segregation and how to create more integrated, inclusive neighborhoods. It is absolutely possible to create opportunities for more inclusive and racially diverse neighborhoods. There needs to be more education and outreach to the general public about why it’s important to create more affordable housing in ALL areas. And, to offer opportunities for grassroots involvement. I have been a Realtor for almost 20 years, and believe everyone in my industry should be vocal enthusiasts for the creation of more housing, especially the missing middle housing. In most instances, the real estate industry continues to advocate for private property rights, at the expense of real people’s lives. This is why Nichole, Meghan, and myself joined together to create a TC YIMBY chapter early in 2023.