I wrote my first letter to a local government official at age 8, advocating for the installation of a stop sign at the end of my road for the safety of children (mostly, my sister and me) riding bicycles in the area. The county monitored traffic for several weeks, considered the data, and heeded my plea. Every time I rode my bike past that shiny new red sign, I was reminded that one small person could make a big difference, a tenet I champion to this day.
Growing up in a rural community provided me with rich opportunities for exploring the interests I developed in food, learning, and livestock. I participated in 4-H and FFA, presenting posters on dairy farming and cloning technology while maintaining poultry, sheep, and cattle projects. My fellow club members, understandably, often struggled when it came time to sell their market animals, but upon raising my first market lamb I found myself excited to contribute to the local food economy. Jobs on dairy farms and in restaurants deepened my fascination with the full life cycle of food, an enduring passion that has led me to raise much of my own family’s food today.
Our current production includes dairy cattle whose milk is enjoyed raw or transformed into butter, cheese, and more; various meat animals that are raised and processed on the farm; and fruit and vegetables enjoyed fresh as well as preserved in assorted ways.
Despite my affinity for the hands-on aspects of food and farming, in school my favorite subject by far was English. My love of reading, writing, and debate led me to pursue a college major in that field and, eventually, to attend graduate school. In 2017 I completed my Ph.D. in English literature at the University of Iowa and began teaching at the University of South Dakota, where I enjoyed working with students writing impassioned essays about the climate crisis, equality, conservation, health care access, and food systems. Their insistence on the need for change inspired me to do more about the crucial dilemmas facing current and future generations. When I saw an advertisement for the assistant policy director position at the Center for Rural Affairs, I recognized a unique opportunity to combine my interests and skills in service of the issues I care most about, and I knew I had to apply.
I like to refer to my role on the Center’s policy team as “the most perfect job that I could never have imagined existed.” I enjoy working with my colleagues to advance state and federal policies that improve the lives of rural residents and open new possibilities for the future of my local community.
Living on a small acreage near Pender, Nebraska, with my husband and two daughters, I am thrilled to incorporate my rural life into my career, creating a union and balance in my daily life that I find deeply rewarding.
Although I am still only one person, by contributing my efforts to the vital work of the Center I know I am making a meaningful difference for rural America.
