Age 39

Executive director, Fort Dodge Fine Arts Association;

community and college coordinator for Iowa Central Fine Arts, accompanist

Grew up

in Webster City

Has lived in

Fort Dodge/

Webster County

for 11 years

What is important

to you?

Of course my friends and family are important to me. Equally important to me is creativity and helping to educate the community on the importance of art and culture as a key component in the quality of life. This can be through visual arts, performing arts, culinary arts, public art, celebrating artists…etc… and continuing to build off of the strong legacy of arts and culture that has been prominent in Fort Dodge/Webster County since inception.

What do you like about Fort Dodge?

I have lived in several big cities over my adult life, including Minneapolis and Las Vegas. I had great experiences in every place but never felt like I was going to plant any roots there. When I moved to Fort Dodge, all of the pieces just fell into place. I am able to have a career in an area that I am passionate about and have spent my whole life being a part of. I like that I am living in a community that is filled with talent. Lots and lots of talent. A crazy amount of talent!!!

What are you building for the future?

As President of Stage Door Productions, I am trying to help facilitate opportunities for students in our community to have access to music and theatre from grades K-12. Kids can begin soccer as young as 3 years old here in Fort Dodge. Many students have to wait until 7th grade or 9th grade before they can be involved in a musical theatre production. The children’s summer musical theatre production last year involved more than 80 kids! I can’t wait to see how these kids use these tools as they go into middle school and high school and continue to advance as performers and people.

“It is in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough–it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the results that make our heart sing.”

-Steve Jobs, in introducing the iPad 2 in 2011

What are you working hardest on?

I work on being a better version of me every day. I try to be a better collaborator, communicator, marketer, try to celebrate more and enjoy every minute of each opportunity that is presented to me both personally and professionally. I do this to make myself a better advocate for the FDFAA organization and members/supporting artists and ICCC Fine Arts.

“The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic … music, dance, painting, and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.”

-William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education