A Neighborhood Kid Running for Her Neighborhood
I grew up on Riverside Drive in South Bend, in a neighborhood of modest homes and gridded streets where everybody knew each other. None of us were wealthy or belonged to a country club, but we had everything a kid needs. My playground was Keller Park, Pinhook Lagoon, and the greenspace along the St. Joseph River. I spent summers playing softball with kids from every background in the neighborhood, exploring the riverbanks, and collecting turtles and frogs. That's where I fell in love with the outdoors, and where I first learned what a real community looks and feels like.
My dad, Bob, was an aeronautical engineer at Bendix for 42 years and a West Point graduate. But what shaped me most wasn't his resume. It was what he did with his time. He was a Scoutmaster, a conservationist, and one of the people behind the East Bank and Riverside Trails. He spent years testing water quality in the St. Joseph River and fighting to protect the land around it. He showed me that public spaces and the environment aren't extras. They're the foundation of a place worth living in.
All of that pointed me toward the work I do now. I became a landscape architect and urban planner because I wanted to help communities build something that actually works for the people living in them. To help put myself through school, I worked summers at the Burger King on US 31, riding my bike from Riverside Drive. I worked on landscape crews driving heavy equipment and doing tree removal throughout St. Joseph County. Those jobs gave me a clear picture of what life looks like for people working hard just to get by, and I've never lost that perspective.
Graduated from Purdue with B. Science in Landscape Architecture and University of Guelph, Ontario Canada with a Master’s in Landscape Architecture both top in my class. Returned to South Bend and worked at LeRoy Troyer’s and Associates in Mishawaka. Love teaching, so became a professor the University of Kentucky in the Landscape Architecture Program where I won many teaching awards.
Held many leadership positions in my field including President and Fellow of the national organization American Society of Landscape Architects. With an interest in leadership in higher education, I became dean of the College of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture at Clemson University in South Carolina and dean of the college of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape Architecture at University of Arizona in Tucson.
I've spent my career in communities across the country, from Appalachian Kentucky to Charleston to downtown Tucson, helping people plan their futures and set real terms for growth. In Tucson, I helped lead the revitalization of a struggling downtown, contributing to over $3 billion in investment. The approach was simple: show what's possible, set clear terms for development, and push decision-makers to meet them. In Arizona, I chaired a nonpartisan coalition that brought together business and civic leaders to tackle water costs and conservation, work I took to Capitol Hill. That same thinking is what I bring home to District C.
Recruited to be president of Saint Mary’s College, I was tremendously honored and excited to be returning to my hometown. A tenured Full Professor, I currently teach full time in both the Departments of Art and Environmental Studies. My subjects are urban planning, architecture, landscape architecture, leadership, and drawing. I am inspired every day by the power of the young women at St. Mary’s!
But titles and projects only matter if they connect to what's real. I'm back in my hometown now. I'm a member of my childhood parish, Holy Cross. I'm grounded in Catholic Social Teaching and a commitment to justice and the marginalized. When I'm not working, you might find me singing in my rock band Pearl, keeping bees, fly fishing, or hiking the trails of Northern Indiana with my partner Doug.
I'm running for County Council because District C deserves someone who can connect the dots, show the through line from decisions to your daily life, and fight to make sure our community gets a real return from the growth happening around us. Not a slogan. A plan you can see and plug into.
