It’s really nice to meet you!
Biography
I spent the last 20 years traveling the world in an exciting career as a geopolitical analyst for the U.S. Air Force. One of my favorite places to be is hanging in a hammock at 30,000 feet. I truly love standing up in front of people who really need to hear the important stuff I have to tell them. That stuff could save their lives. My dream is to bring that passion to the world outside of the defense sector.
Public Speaking
Theater was my first passion. I wanted to be an actress on Broadway when I was little. It’s still pretty scary to stand up and talk, but it’s the kind of thrill I live for.
Lifelong Learning
There’s never a good time to stop looking for ways to grow. If I’m not creating a project, I’m probably off reading or listening to a podcast on how to do it. I love collecting new skills, which you’ll see through this portfolio. I hope you like the things that I’ve created, because I had a really great time doing it.
What matters to me
Critical thinking
Solving Future Problems.
When I was in high school, my teacher Rona Eckles introduced me to the world of Future Problem Solving. It’s an international competition aimed at teaching high school students the skills they need to tackle the biggest problems in the world, without the constraints of reality. The idea is to brainstorm problems and solutions with no bounds, so that you have the creative freedom to really think about tough stuff thoroughly, without thinking that nothing can be done. We tackled problems like climate change, organ donation, and nanotechnology, way before they became reality in headlines. So many industries are in dire need of modernization as the tech world jumps ahead at unpaceable speeds. I go into every new job with the problem-solving mindset I learned in ninth grade–an open mind to see how things are now and excitement for what they could be if we work together for progress.
Community
Commitment to Service.
My mom was the head librarian in my town. She was involved in everything, rotary club, women’s club, garden club. I went to my first city council meetings by her side. We spent most of our summers at the library, painting backgrounds and putting together craft projects for the kids in Hernando to have fun over the break and learn new skills. Those times instilled a deep sense of community and service in me that continued throughout my military career. When I’m not in class or at work, I’m usually looking for a project or place I can help out. One of my proudest times was working at a food distribution depot during COVID. We salvaged foods from local grocery stores and distributed USDA Farm Boxes to families across Atlanta that were struggling when supply chains broke down. I was so lucky to be a part of that team. At Georgia State, I’ve tried to participate in every MLK Day of Service or volunteer activity that I had time to get away. This picture is a volunteer event where my team stayed late to make a sleeping mat for unhoused Atlantans out of recycled grocery bags. We ran out of time during the event, but none of us wanted to go home until the job was done.
Adventure
Exploring New Places.
Nothing matters to me more than my sisters. When I was little, my parents took us all over the US in our minivan with the backseat pulled out. We went everywhere we could that had a relative close enough to visit. We went to Washington, D.C. to meet our Congressmen. We visited Abe Lincoln’s cabin in Kentucky to learn about the Emancipation Proclamation. We learned about history in the places it was made. As adults, we’ve kept up this tradition of traveling and exploring together as we adventure around the world. In 2015, we spent a month driving from Memphis to Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon to Hot Springs, Arkansas. We visited 16 states and saw dozens of parks. While you’re exploring the website, check out my podcast Lost Places & Faces, where we went on a ghost hunting trip to Milledgeville, Georgia and discovered a lot of really cool stuff about the history of mental healthcare in the US.