Get to know me

I started my career working as a care manager for diabetic patients which gave me a firsthand view into the barriers the health delivery system created for patients, and knew I wanted to dig into larger system reform work. I got my start in policy through a federal health policy nonprofit that gave me incredible opportunities to grow, learn and lead with them. 

In the past decade, I’ve:

• Run the Rocky Mountain chapter of a policy and advocacy organization dedicated to lifting up young adults furthest from power and privilege to lead in their communities;

• Led the government affairs department for MSU Denver, an institution dedicated to serving first-generation, underrepresented minority, and Pell-eligible students;

• Run numerous campaigns, including supporting the passage of Jeffco’s 2018 mill bond (5A/5B) to fund our public schools;

• Contracted with institutions and organizations on strategic planning and leadership; 

• Been the chairwoman of our house district;

• Been a state committee member of the Working Families Party;

• Been the Director of the Collaborative Community Response Initiative (CCRI), bridging community leadership with primary care, public health, mental health care, and social services across our state; 

• Been a mentor for close to 100 women struggling with trauma, addiction, or eating disorders.

Over these years, I’ve been honored to lead and support the passage of many progressive and innovative policies at the state level, often with bipartisan support. Several that I’m most proud of passing are:

• The first bill in the country to give students the option of whether to submit their national test scores (ACT or SAT) to all Colorado public institutions of higher education. Research has clearly shown that the SAT and ACT aren’t predictors of college success, but rather are predictors of privilege at home.

• A program requiring all Colorado public higher education institutions to cover the cost of college, including wrap-around success supports, for young people who grew up in the foster system. 

• A policy which required insurance companies to cover an annual mental health exam in the same way they’re required to cover an annual physical.

• A policy which removed lawful presence verification in order for folks to get credentials. We heard over and over that DACA recipients were graduating from college and were unable to receive credentials to practice in the fields they’d studied due to their documentation status. 

• A $100m budget amendment that funded institutions of higher education serving first-generation, underrepresented minority and Pell-eligible students.

In addition to the policies I’ve mentioned here, I’ve been lucky to work on over 50 bills in the past several years. Sometimes through organizing storytelling or communications, sometimes through lobbying and advocacy, and sometimes through running a full campaign from ideation and drafting through the lobbying and advocacy steps all the way to passage.

This work has truly been the honor of my life and I can’t wait to keep making life better for Coloradans as your next State Representative.