My husband Matt and I live in the Village of Kenmore with our three children Aiden, Maddie, and Tiernan. I am originally from Central NY where I attended Cayuga Community College, Syracuse University (earning a Bachelors in Biology and a Masters in Exercise Science), Finger Lakes School of Massage, and completed my Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Northeast College of Health Sciences (formally NYCC). I am a full-time Biology professor at Erie Community College and have been an active member of NYSUT through the Faculty Federation of Erie Community College serving on the Executive Board and Political Action Committee. In 2012, my husband and I co-founded the Ken-Ton Parent Alliance, a grassroots advocacy group formed to inform and involve public school stakeholders to become more involved in their child's education. Through this work, I noticed socioeconomic disparities in our community that were creating an academic gap for our most vulnerable students. To remove those barriers to success, I formed the Ken-Ton Closet in 2013 which provides free clothing, school supplies, and toiletries to children living in the Village of Kenmore/Town of Tonawanda. We are 100% volunteer-run and through the work of our volunteers, we now serve between 700-800 children each year through our programming. In 2014, I was elected to the Board of Education for the Kenmore-Town of Tonawanda Union Free School District and was selected by my colleagues to be Board President the following year. I was honored to be chosen by my peers continuously in this capacity until my decision to not to seek re-election in 2020. During my time on the Board, we worked with our local veterans to secure the Veterans Tax Exemption. Coming from a military family, I knew firsthand the positive impact this would have on those that have made the sacrifice to serve our country. I was also pleased to cooperate with our Kenmore Teachers Association, Town of Tonawanda, Erie County, and former Assemblyman Robin Schimminger to help secure the Huntley Mitigation Fund to offset losses due to the loss of PILOT revenue from the closure of the Huntley Power Plant. In 2018, I was fortunate to be selected by the Erie County Association of School Boards as their Associate Director. This position allowed me to develop relationships with our WNY Senate and Assembly delegation and work closely with School Board members across the area to advocate for their Districts. I was recently awarded the ASBO-NY Advocate of the Year Award for my cross-collaborative advocacy efforts. During the summer of 2020, I was appointed as the facilitator for the Tonawanda Police Reform and Reinvention Collaborative. This work allowed me to join members of our Town Board, Police Department, and community stakeholders to evaluate our police practices and make recommendations for improvements. Because of the work of this committee, the Town Board has allocated additional resources to meet the needs of our community including adding bike patrol shirts, ATV shifts, presence at Town events, and the continuation/revival of programs such as the Duck Hunt and Fishing Derby. On January 4th, 2021 I was sworn in to the Town of Tonawanda Council to fill the seat vacated by Bill Conrad as he was elected as Assemblyman of the 140th Assembly District. Since my appointment, I have been taking the time to get to know our workers and learn more about the outstanding services they provide to our Town. I have learned so much and I am grateful for their time in teaching me about how we operate. I am the Chair of the Highway, Town Clerk, Street Light, and Insurance Committees. I also serve on the Youth Parks & Rec, Building Maintenance, Vehicle Utilization, Engineering, Information Technology, Building Department, Planning, Zoning Board, and SEQR committees. I am excited to be running for my first full four-year term. I look forward to serving the residents of the Town of Tonawanda! 💙💚💙💚
