A Little About Me!
I consider myself to be a native Charlottean, having moved to North Carolina from Illinois with my family when I was three years old. I grew up on the east side of Charlotte, and graduated from Garinger High School before completing college at Appalachian State University followed by nursing school at Central Piedmont Community College.
As a nurse, I cared for members of our community on the wards, in the Intensive Care Unit, the emergency department, and the trauma unit.
I have been married to my husband, Russ, for 31 years and left nursing to become a stay-at-home mother when the first of our two now-grown children was born.
While raising our kids I helped Russ run his medical practice from home. I also volunteered, serving as PTO President and then Co-President of the Charlotte Jewish Day School Board and served as a Board member of the Levine Jewish Community Center. In each instance, I was honored to be the first non-Jewish person ever named to the role.
Together these life experiences inform the values that lead me back to service over and over again.
Why I Said Yes!
For most of my life voting has represented the extent of my political activity. That all changed in 2015 as I nervously watched Donald Trump ascend the ranks of candidates within the Republican Party. My nervousness turned to fear for my family, for my friends, and for our country when he was elected president in 2016. I knew at that moment I had to take my emotions and channel them into positive action.
I began volunteering for two grassroots organizations, Swing Left Charlotte and Indivisible 9, now together called Indivisible Charlotte. My work included marching for women’s rights and responsible gun control, knocking on doors, contacting elected officials, phone banking, text banking, and writing postcards to help further the campaigns of Democratic candidates throughout North Carolina as well as neighboring states. I also sought training as a poll worker and have worked all elections since 2020.
In November of 2023, I was asked to run for office by the Chairperson of the Mecklenburg Democratic Party. To be perfectly honest, running for office was never on my radar screen. I was very comfortable promoting Democratic Party values from behind the scenes, but sometimes life sends you a message.
In mid-October, I was involved in a significant car accident. A young motorist ran a red light at high speed and plowed her car into the driver’s side of my car where I was seated - somehow I was able to walk away from the crash while the other driver was taken to the hospital. In the days that followed, in particular after having been asked to run for office, I started to think that maybe there was a deeper reason behind my good fortune, that maybe I have more work to do. My entire life has been focused on service - to family, patients, schools, to the community at large. Maybe I was meant to give more and in service to an even greater good - working for you. So I said yes!
Am I excited about this opportunity to serve, Yes I Am! I am enthusiastic about the North Carolina Democratic Party and I am ready to do the work of representing you in the General Assembly to the best of my ability.
Thank you for your trust and your belief in a better tomorrow for all North Carolinians.