Seeing a child’s face light up when they feel proud of their success is my favorite part of being a psychologist. I love educating and empowering parents to support their children. I work to create a partnership with families to best support the continuous social, emotional and academic development of every child. I’ve always known I wanted to work with children in some capacity and am honored to be invited to support each child I work with at the Children’s Clinic.

I was born in Dixon, Illinois, but grew up in the Pacific Northwest, and am happy to continue to call it home. My husband, daughter and I enjoy staying active through travel, being outdoors and trying the many new restaurants that Portland has to offer. And our toddler loves to identify who serves the best mac and cheese in town. Our family also includes a 10-year-old English Bulldog named Tater, who also would love to identify who serves the best mac and cheese in town.

My bucket list includes going on a hot air balloon ride, creating a giant slip and slide and being a storm chaser for a day. My motto is “Act or accept.”