Experienced. Thoughtful. Visionary.

An Austin resident since 1983, I know Austin across different decades and neighborhoods. I grew up with the Hill Country as my backyard in northwest Austin (Great Hills), rented my first Austin apartment after college in Northwest Hills, and raised my family in West Campus, Downtown, UT student family housing, Bouldin, Allandale, and Mueller. I stayed in Austin because I love the creative energy, green spaces, culture, and opportunities. 

 

I’ve been of service to Austin since I was young, from volunteering at the animal and homeless shelters and being president of Westwood High School’s environmental club to choosing higher education and careers to continue my service to Austin as a community planner, Austin ISD high school science teacher, and civil engineer.

I have the magical combination for a City Council member: a long-time resident who adores and knows the city well, has been of service to the city, and has a highly relevant, exceptional foundation: 

 

Community Planner
1996-2007  After earning a BA in Biology because I was interested in ecology, I interned with a landscape architecture firm, and then with Capital Metro and the City of Austin as I became increasingly interested in planning as the means to create more sustainable cities.  I earned a MS in Community & Regional Planning (UT-Austin, 1999) and worked for the City of Austin as a planner for 7 years, including as a liaison to the Codes & Ordinances Committee of the Planning Commission. While at the city, I successfully advocated for dark sky compliant lighting code requirements and policies to encourage car-sharing and green building. I also started the city’s first parking benefit district, which dedicates parking meter revenue to neighborhood improvements. In 2008, between my two years teaching science, I worked in Austin Energy’s green building program.

Austin ISD High School Science Teacher

2007-2009 I taught Integrated Physics & Chemistry at Austin High and Biology at Reagan (Northeast) High, engaging students in service projects like learning how to repair bikes with the Yellow Bike Project and testing the water quality of Lady Bird Lake.  

 

Civil Engineer

2009-present I missed being a part of the planning of Austin but I wanted to understand the city at a more technical level, so I left science teaching and earned a MS and PhD in Civil Engineering from UT-Austin (2012). I worked as a transportation researcher, private sector civil engineer working for other firms and my own consulting firm, in Capital Delivery Services at the City of Austin, as a contract civil engineer for TCEQ and TWDB, and as Assistant Director of Public Works for the City of Pflugerville managing a $200M budget.  

 

I’ve also been of service to Austin as a biotech start-up founder who mentors biotech students every school year and as a community advocate for transportation, historic preservation, animals, and arts, music, & culture. 

 

I’m inquisitive and driven, and bring a much-needed blend of real-world experience, technical expertise, and lifelong history advocating for Austin, which is invaluable in my role as facilitator and advocate for District 9 and city. I have the knowledge from working “inside” the city bureaucracy on how the city works (and does not work). I know what citizens need in a City Council member to ensure accountability and results.