I grew up on a farm east of Fairbank, a small town in Northeast Iowa. We raised corn, soybeans, and backgrounded dairy heifers for a friend. I was the dorky kid that always knew what I wanted to be: a teacher! During high school, I was honestly torn between teaching math and ag. I finally settled on teaching ag, because my high school agricultural education program really helped me to grow into the person I am today. After graduating from Wapsie Valley High School in 1998, I enrolled in Iowa State. I graduated in 2002 with my Bachelor of Science in Agricultural Education.

From 2002 to 2005, I taught a menagerie of classes at Andrew Community Schools, a tiny town between Bellevue, Iowa and Maquoketa, Iowa. I taught 9-12 ag classes, 7-8 grade exploratory ag classes, computer applications classes, and economics. I was the FFA advisor and also coached the Quizbowl Team. Then, I moved to teach in Southwest Iowa at Villisca Junior/Senior High School. I taught 7-12 ag and 6th grade keyboarding, was the FFA advisor, and sponsored yearbook. I had the opportunity to come to Fairfield in the fall of 2008, and I have loved every moment of it!

My husband, Jesse, and I co-own and operate a 300 acre farm south of Stuart, Iowa. My brother-in-law manages the day to day operations, and we work our tails off on the weekends. We have a small cow-calf herd of Red Angus and Red Angus/Shorthorn crosses, and we have some alfalfa and grass hay land. In 2012, we will start row cropping our land instead of renting it out. Jesse will graduate in the Spring of 2012 from Northeast Iowa Community College with his degree in Agricultural Business and certificates in Certified Crop Advisor and Custom Applicator.

In the fall of 2011, I started graduate school at the University of Iowa in the School Counseling program. It will take me about 4 years to get through the course work going part time.

We have two terrors, I mean terriers: Winnie is a Jack Russell Terrier, who loves to play ball. Andy is a laid-back Fox Terrier-Boston Terrier Rescue dog. I also love Eeyore (if you've been in my office, you know this)!