I am the oldest of six children, with our mom a Granite District school teacher and our dad a realtor and developer. I married a brave man who took the Air Force route to gain his medical training and served 26 years active-duty, so our four children were born in four states during his service to our country. 

I didn’t want that path, but it made me a stronger and more independent person as I had to help our family start life over and over again, while also giving and receiving service in our church. Those years gave me a wider view into what life is like in places as diverse as Altus, Oklahoma and Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I was blessed to have Francine Bennion as my mother-in-law. She fought successfully to preserve Rock Canyon in Provo from development, and she fed me a steady stream of questions and books that widened my perspective and built on my BA in English from BYU.

I know what life can be like in a stable family, and I want more people to have what I experienced. I am convinced that government at every level plays a role in that, from a strong public education system to a healthy environment. We moved back to Utah in 2012, and I was fortunate to join Women’s State Legislative Council of Utah. My 7 years in leadership there, learning about our state government and working with powerful women, was like an internship, and it changed me.  I was also a volunteer teaching English through the English Skills Learning Center for five years and served in leadership for one year in the Utah chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense.

I love hiking, biking, and skiing. During the five years I’ve served on the House Natural Resource, Agriculture and Environment Committee, I’ve taken every opportunity to learn and see work on the ground level. We have made progress for cleaner air in our state, but we still have people dying from air pollution, radon, and other impacts where our state policies could make a difference.

While I love the service I am able to provide in the state legislature, I see that our city leadership could be more responsive and proactive with problems we face. We all want a walkable, healthy city, and growth that benefits our city, not just developers. We want a city with smaller, affordable housing options for young families and for seniors to have better housing options, transportation, and community care.

These are my priorities, and I have the knowledge and connections to bring our vision to reality, thanks to what I have learned in my service since 2020.

I listen and respond to concerns shared with me because I care. I support a city wildfire mitigation program and fully funding emergency services, rather than leaving the Wasatch Blvd station short one firefighter.  We can address 500+ illegal short-term rentals through offering STR licenses with a high standard. I’ve worked with a national expert the past four years and know we can’t ignore this business model.  We also need to address ongoing areas of traffic concerns and work for streets safe for all users.

I’m continually impressed by the knowledge, experience, and skills of the people in Cottonwood Heights. I hope to unleash the potential of our city as we engage and collaborate with all of you.