I did not grow up in Dubuque, I grew up in a suburb of Chicago, Des Plains, Illinois. My parents moved to Elizabeth, Illinois when I was in grade school and then we moved to Dubuque 2000 and I attended Wahlert High School.

After I went to the University of Iowa, I moved back to Dubuque in 2008 and started working at Loras College. I have young kids and the school district in Dubuque is fantastic. I also think that the community is just incredibly filled with life and lots of good commitment to making things better for Dubuque residents. I definitely think that commitment to community is what Dubuque does best.