My Journey

I graduated from South Kitsap High School and earned my Associate’s degree from Olympic College. With a desire to better understand people and help them thrive, I went on to complete my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at Northwest University. I later earned a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Leadership from Seattle University.

In 2009, I founded Walk In The Light, a nonprofit serving vulnerable communities in Burkina Faso, West Africa, and continue to serve as one of its leaders today. Through this work, we have built schools and health centers and developed more than 25 wells that provide clean water to over 50,000 people. We have supported refugees displaced by war in Burkina Faso, assisted Ukrainian families fleeing to Romania. I am honored to have walked alongside communities facing unimaginable challenges.

For 13 years, I have also served as a pastor. In that role, I have guided people through some of the most meaningful moments of their lives, as well as their most difficult. From weddings and baptisms to funerals and personal crises, I have stood with families in both their happiest moments and their hardest days, offering compassion, hope, and strength.

Like many families, Tom and I have worked hard to build a future for our children while serving our community. After spending much of my career leading nonprofits and humanitarian projects, we understood that if we wanted to provide long-term financial security and plan for retirement, we needed to build something ourselves. We started Cornell Homes and gradually invested in rental properties and vacation rentals, often taking risks, making sacrifices, and learning along the way.

Being a small business owner has given me firsthand experience with the challenges Washington families face every day; rising costs, taxes, regulations, permitting delays, insurance increases, and the uncertainty that comes with running a business. I know what it feels like to make payroll, manage budgets, solve problems, and work long hours to build something that lasts. Those experiences have strengthened my belief that government should make it easier, not harder for  families, workers, and entrepreneurs to succeed.

While much of my humanitarian work has taken me around the world, serving our local community has always been just as important to me. Through my work with Heart for the City, local churches, schools, nonprofits, and community organizations, I’ve helped organize and support food drives, school supply drives, Christmas gift programs, diaper drives for young mothers, community outreach events, and countless efforts to meet practical needs right here at home. I’ve had the privilege of partnering with amazing organizations already doing great work in our community, helping connect resources, volunteers, and support to families facing difficult seasons. Whether it’s providing food, clothing, school supplies, baby essentials, or simply encouragement, my passion has always been to love people well, strengthen families, and help build a community where no one feels forgotten.