Pronouns: She/Her
I am honored to serve on the Sky Island Alliance board and to contribute to its mission, connecting people to the land through science, education, and advocacy in our binational desert and Sky Island landscapes. I grew up in a rural farming community near the Wichita Mountains in southwest Oklahoma, spending most of my time in the outdoors. I feel at home in the wild places that I have devoted my travels to and understand the responsibility of active conservation of our vital ecosystems. I first fell in love with southern Arizona while traveling between Oklahoma and California. The dramatic variations in topography, colors, and scents of the desert drew me back, and Tucson became home.
My professional path has included environmental and land use planning, heritage conservation and archaeology in the Intermountain West region, in addition to photography and studio arts. I earned a master’s degree in urban planning and a certificate in heritage conservation at the University of Arizona, after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Archaeology at California State University. I am grateful that being in the field has always been a part of my work, as that has included a lot of fun rafting, fishing, hiking, and camping. I am dedicated to the idea that the cultural landscapes we all share tell us the story of what our place is, in our world, in community, in history, and for the future.