When we got married and as we moved to Racine County for my first job after graduating from Marquette University Law School, my husband and I agreed that we would move to Florida within five years, so we could be closer to my family.
Then we fell in love with Racine.
And we soon found ourselves growing roots here. And our family now proudly calls Racine County our home.
A Lifetime of Service
My experiences serving the various communities that have shaped me have informed my desire to be a judge, as well as my judicial philosophy.
My life of service started as a high school math teacher and campus minister for 15 years in Cleveland, OH and Clearwater, FL. I worked in both suburban and urban schools.
And as a teacher and campus minister I developed programs which encouraged students to address issues of violence, prejudice, solidarity and service. One of my proudest moments was when I was teaching at Cleveland Central Catholic, when I organized a student exchange between my school and a suburban high school in which the freshman from both schools travelled to the other campus to participate in small group activities and attend each other’s classes — to help break down the barriers and misunderstanding that race and lack of resources can cause.
Today, I am currently serving the community as a Racine Unified School Board Member. As a board we have addressed a number of issues, including guns in schools. I worked closely with District Attorney Patricia Hanson to advocate for metal detectors in our high schools after multiple incidents of guns being discovered on school grounds.
Given the rising incidents of school shootings in our country, it was imperative that we take action to protect our students and staff.
A Focus on Helping Children
Shortly after we were married, my husband and I decided to become foster parents, which opened a new universe of service for both of us.
We were warned during our training that many foster children often have a significant history of abuse and neglect. So, in order to effectively parent our foster and later adopted children, we have spent many hours learning about childhood trauma and attending training regarding the effects of trauma.
The result is that my husband and I have become well-versed in the long- term impact trauma has on children, and on human beings in general.
All of this is to say that my experiences throughout my life have prepared me to be sensitive to racial inequities, to poverty, to the plight of abused and neglected children, and to the impact of trauma on children and adults alike.
And these experiences have informed my decision to ask you to elect me to be a Racine County judge.
Why I Want to Be a Judge
I want to be a judge because I believe all people should be treated with dignity and respect, while still being held accountable for their actions.
As I have throughout my life, I will act with integrity. I will be fair, impartial and unbiased, and not bow to pressure from special interest groups, from people with money, or with high powered attorneys.
I will uphold the rule of law, recognizing that no one is above the law. I will not be an activist judge with an agenda. I will be impartial and objective, protecting the rights of all parties, and protecting vulnerable populations.
I look forward to bringing my broad legal background to the bench. I have represented domestic abuse survivors in family and child custody cases and have advocated for the best interests of children as a guardian ad litem (GAL) in Racine County.
I have also been a prosecutor for the Racine District Attorney’s Office for over six years, prosecuting CHIPS (Child in Need of Protection and Services) and TPR (Termination of Parental Rights) cases, guardianships, juvenile delinquency cases and criminal cases.
I believe that our democracy is built on a fair and independent judiciary. And I will be a judge who the community can count on to treat everyone with dignity and respect, to protect everyone’s rights, to uphold the rule of law, and to act with integrity.
I would be honored to serve Racine County as a circuit court judge, and I ask for your vote in the upcoming elections.
