About Me

I was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Michigan and Florida. I am the youngest of three girls and I have always loved sports and being creative. As a child, I remember my mom showing us photos of her wearing leg braces and telling us about being a polio survivor. Although my sisters and I didn’t quite realize the impact of her story on us when we were young. Somehow, it must have influenced us as all, as we all work in support of individuals with disabilities. Heidi works in early intervention and Holly as a physical therapist.

In Florida, I worked for several years with individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) as an occupational therapist. After our move to Arkansas for Chad’s (my partner) graduate school, I entered the field of public health and got the chance to be involved in community-engaged research focused on preventing injuries to children. Once I learned about public health and the impact of research, I decided to return to school to get my doctoral degree in public health, so I could focus my research on impacting health equity for individuals with IDD. While at Northern Arizona University, my life brought me full circle to a job where I got to teach and mentor future occupational therapists, while also engaging in health equity focused community-based research alongside individuals with IDD, their families and providers. I was Associate Professor in the Center for Health Equity Research and the Department of Occupational Therapy.

Currently, I am a Program Officer at the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute which has a focus on addressing the health of individuals with IDD.