I was on the staff of KGNU for over 20 years, as news director and later station manager.  Then I managed a children’s arts & literacy nonprofit in Denver from 2014 til early 2020.  Since then, I’ve worked part-time as a noncommercial audio reporter and producer, including occasional freelance work for NPR as well as co-hosting and editing the podcast “Well, That Went Sideways”.  My years as a radio journalist have helped me develop listening skills, helped me explain complicated issues in plain language and made me appreciate the need for transparency in decision-making.

In 2007, after stepping away from the news director job, I started to engage more directly with the issues and programs that had made a difference in my family’s life in Boulder.  I was appointed that year as a resident representative to a city affordable housing task force.  I’m also a lifelong library lover and we were frequent users of the library's many excellent free programs for kids and adults, so I applied for and was appointed to the Boulder Library Commission, 2007-2012.  I learned a lot about our public libraries and advocated for more stable funding and the construction of a long-planned branch library in North Boulder.  

In 2011, our kids were nearing the end of their time in the Boulder Valley schools and I was feeling gratitude for the education they received in our neighborhood schools.  At different times during their school years, each of our kids needed help.  Sometimes academic help, sometimes financial help, and sometimes emotional help.  Help was provided and we were grateful.  But I knew that one reason they got the help they needed was because their mom knew how to advocate for them.  Not all parents know how to advocate for their children or even that such advocacy is possible.  That’s what motivated my 2011 run for a seat on the Boulder Valley Board of Education:  Gratitude and the desire to help ensure all parents have the access and the knowledge to advocate for their children.  I was elected in 2011 and served two terms 2011-2019 and was board president 2015-2017. 

I’m proud of the work we did to expand early childhood education through increases in full day kindergarten and pre-school slots for low income children.  We moved our start times later to align with best practices for the health and wellness of our high school students.  And during my last year on the board, we undertook an intensive and inclusive strategic planning process focused on equity.  That led to increasing targeted investments that benefited English-language learners and low income students.  

I learned a lot from my school board service about governance, the importance of transparency and clear communication, meeting management skills and how to focus on debating policy, not people.  

We are so fortunate to have a vibrant and varied arts community in Boulder.  One of the key funding mechanisms for arts organizations is the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), a seven county metro tax district that collects a penny on every $10 purchase, raising millions every year for arts and cultural groups large and small.  I served 2021-2024 on the Boulder County Cultural Commission, an appointed group of volunteers who review grant proposals and recommend allocations of SCFD Tier III funds to a wide range of local arts nonprofits.  

Then it was back to the library —one of humanity’s greatest ideas.  Free access to knowledge, art and culture, available to all. A free “third place” for all community members to gather and interact.  I supported the campaign for the creation of a Boulder Public Library District as the best way to stabilize funding and improve services.  Thanks to the voters, the district was approved in 2022 and created in 2023.  I was appointed and served a two year term (2023-2025) on the original board of trustees.