I have extensive work history across sectors of the economy that provide me with insights into how neurodivergent folks can contribute & benefit economically.

I started in high school and college in retail & food service, then moved into interior design and construction as an entrepreneur in the 1990s with my own decorative painting and color consulting business. After witnessing a workplace fatality in Seattle in 1997, my occupational safety career started— an area I am passionate about.

During the Great Recession in 2008, after losing my painting business, I completed a corporate training program in printing/manufacturing and environmental compliance. During a merger/acquisition I transferred from Wisconsin to Colorado but was laid off in 2014.

I returned to higher education at Colorado School of Mines for an MS (2016) in the international political economy of resource development with minors in mining engineering and engineering/tech management and contributed to a patent for a coal mining safety device.

I taught as an adjunct professor in the Liberal Arts department while completing my PhD in Higher Education at the University of Denver (2023).

Currently, I spend my days oil painting and doing independent research while I volunteer at Access Gallery & Studio for disabled artists and I am an ambassador for the Colorado Neurodivergent Chamber of Commerce (CNDCC).

My interdisciplinary experience of the world and in research is tied to my neurological uniqueness, which also accounts for my wide-range of work experiences. I have a keen ability to sense gaps and make connections across domains and ideas that others miss. I also am both highly logical and analytical, while also extremely creative.

My entire experience is shaped by my creative mind that ceaselessly innovates, analyzes, and makes connections. Additionally, I started oil painting at age 10 and am extremely visual and color sensitive neurologically.