Listening and Learning

More than anything else, I have always been fulfilled by the opportunity to listen to people. I love hearing the different perspectives people bring to the table that help determine their choices and opinions. This is part of what drew me to marketing and market research as I prepared to graduate from college.

I began my career in marketing as an Assistant Account Executive at Young & Rubicam. In the subsequent years, I worked my way up and was grateful to become a partner at a large ad agency at the age of 31. During these years, I learned the importance of teamwork, perseverance, and drive in accomplishing goals. But, as grateful as I was for my experiences learning from brilliant folks at all of these agencies, I had an itch to strike out on my own.

In 2005, I decided to hang out my own shingle and established my own marketing consulting business. The business began as a small operation, kept as a sole proprietorship, but continued to grow. In 2009, I made the choice to incorporate my business: bringing on a new load of responsibilities.

In 2011, due to a combination of family needs and a growing interest to expand my advocacy work, I reverted the business back to a sole proprietorship. This shift gave me the opportunity to dive into bullying prevention.

It was that year I was able to publish my first book, "When Your Child Is Being Bullied: Real Solutions For Parents, Educators & Other Professionals". After it received a positive reception, I partnered with Sears Holdings to create an organization dedicated to bullying prevention and awareness: Team Up to Stop Bullying. I was grateful to serve as Managing Director of Team Up through 2013. During this time, I got a taste of government through my advocacy and policy work: in 2011 and 2012, I was lucky enough to attend the White House Summit on Bullying.

In the years since then I’ve continued my advocacy work and expanded it to other causes close to my heart. In 2015, I became the volunteer spokesperson for gun safety organization, Moms Demand Action.

These experiences and the people I met along the way are what inspired me to run for Congress. I felt the challenges of being a small businessowner and fighting for the causes I believe in. I’ve met so many people who feel unheard, and I’m ready to be their voice in Congress.