Born and raised in Aberdeen. Married to my husband James and have two adult children, Olivia and Axton. 

Received a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) from SDSU in 1997. 

Worked as a Registered Nurse in the Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Cardiac Catheterization Lab and Emergency Department at Dakota Heartland Health Services in Fargo, ND and Avera St. Lukes Hospital in Aberdeen before taking a break to raise my family. During this period away from bedside nursing, I discovered my love and passion for educating people of all ages through my wide variety of volunteer roles in the local schools and churches. I’ve had the privilege of holding several non-nursing management roles upon my re-entry to the professional sector in 2017. Prior to joining the NSU Nursing Program as the Simulation Lab/Clinical Coordinator, I was the Simulation & Learning Lab Coordinator for the SDSU College of Nursing. Not only was I responsible for the Aberdeen based Accelerated Nursing Program simulation and learning lab, I also managed all the necessary simulation management software, built and maintained the simulated electronic health records for the simulated patient charts, troubleshot faculty and student software issues and was integral in the launch of the Standardized Patient program hiring process from its inception for all four of SDSU’s nursing program campuses located in Aberdeen, Brookings, Sioux Falls and Rapid City. It was during this period I discovered my talent and love for experiential learning and technology, especially simulation. I love tapping into my own nursing education and experience to create the scenes necessary to provide high-quality simulated learning experiences envisioned by nursing program faculty. It’ so fulfilling to watch nursing students blossom into confident and capable nurses during their time of practice within the Learning and Simulation Lab. 

My motto has always been, “If you’re going to do something, do it right and to the best of your ability while making yourself a valuable part of the team.” As a lifelong Aberdeen resident, I am especially proud of being part of the team responsible for building a much-needed Baccalaureate Nursing Program located in our region of the state.