Working Hard to Build Community

I’ve spent my career working hard to help people. I got my drive from my dad, Roger.

When I was 5 years old, my mom died of brain cancer, leaving my dad to raise four young girls. He did it by working three jobs – as a steelworker, a used car salesman, and a manager at a buffet restaurant in my hometown of Valparaiso, Indiana. He also had help – from my grandparents, neighbors and friends, and the community. So many groups, from United Way to Catholic Charities, helped me and my family when we were struggling.

My dad worked his way up from sweeping floors to serving as second-in-command at the steel mill. He served as a volunteer firefighter. Not once did he miss one of my cross-country meets or theater performances. I’ve never known anyone who worked harder than my dad. And as a union man in a conservative community, my dad knew how to get along with everyone.

Thanks to my dad, giving everyone a hand up is what I know – and what I do.

I worked my way through college, just barely avoiding eviction and making my tuition payments. I’m the first person in my family to graduate. Throughout my career, I’ve been a small-town newspaper publisher, a non-profit fundraiser, and an executive director and chief operating officer at major nonprofits. I’m proud to give back to organizations that help our families and kiddos to be successful. I’m also proud to have led two organizations voted by Oregon Business as a Top 100 Nonprofit to Work For in Oregon.

With my family, I moved to McMinnville in 2017 from Springfield. Like the downtown mural says, we love where we live!

You can find me and my family eating at local restaurants, enjoying local wineries, shopping in McMinnville, hiking, and attending community events. I serve on the McMinnville Rotary Club Board of Directors, the Willamette Valley Cancer Foundation, co-created the Mac Food Truck Fest and have been a SMART reader.