I moved from Knoxville to Cookeville in 2008 to finish my education at Tennessee Tech. Putnam County has been my home since then. My daughter and I have lived in Algood since 2017. We are both actively involved with the Algood Middle School drama club. I am the current president of the board of directors of Restoring Childhood, a community initiative that addresses the adolescent mental health crisis caused by overuse of digital devices and social media. I am a trained play expert and have had various local speaking engagements on the topic of risky play. In 2016 became the director of SoulSong Montessori Parent’s Day Out, the early childhood education ministry at First Presbyterian Church. Prior to working at SoulSong, I was a fourth grade teacher at Performance Learning Academy and Jere Whitson Elementary School. I was on the committee for the creation of Heart of the City Playground, specializing in art. I have served on the board of directors for Cookeville Theatre Company, as well as on the outreach and education committees at First Presbyterian Church.
I would like to continue the work of making Putnam County safer for cyclists and pedestrians. There are still many areas of the county that are unsafe for any travel other than vehicles. As a play expert and career educator, parks are something I care deeply about. I would like to eventually see natural playscapes available at many of our local parks. My goal would be that Algood, Baxter, Cookeville, and Monterey each eventually have at least one each. Putnam County has the reputation of feeling like being in a Hallmark movie, due to things like the revitalization of the Historic WestSide and the wonderful local businesses we have throughout the county. I think we can keep growing in this way of supporting local businesses and taking particular pride in our downtown areas, while maintaining the natural beauty of our more rural parts.
