Our Team

Skills & Specialties: Communications strategy, Crisis communications, Media relations, Marketing, Team leadership
Year Career in Communications Began: 2007
Joined ESD 112 in: 2018

I started my career in TV news reporting and evolved my skills to go on to manage law enforcement and then disaster relief media relations and communications. My business, government and non-profit experience makes me a jack of all trades and a perfect fit for an innovative organization like ESD 112. As leader of the talented ESD team, I use my skills to support school districts of all sizes with complex challenges. I get to be a part of solutions for meaningful organizations, instead of just reporting problems. Supporting school teams and bringing people together to achieve common educational goals is the kind of meaningful work I love. I feel proud of the work I do and the incredible team I lead.

I have an incredible husband named Clay and a rescue cat named Pearl. Clay is an air force chief and Pearl is a little character who loves to yell at me when I’m in long Zoom meetings. I’m a native Washingtonian, from Olympia originally, and my family still lives there.

Skills & Specialties: Facilitating and implementing brand development; Strategic planning; Hiring perfect employees; Blazing trails
Year Career in Design Began: 1988
Joined ESD 112 in: 1996

I’ve spent most of my career serving districts, our programs and other related educational organizations for ESD 112. As I grew, so did our service offerings in the design and web development side of creative work. I’m super proud of the way we’ve built a creative-agency-level of service for our educational partners. I love facilitating meetings and conversations when people get really excited about creative solutions to challenges. That’s pretty much what directs my work. I always say that, “form follows function—duh.” Because, well, it does. Our work is informed and born out of need. That need is the function.

I live with my husband and acrobatic, half-feral cat in Vancouver, WA and enjoy visits from my grown-ass daughter when she’s home from earning her graduate degree in New York City.

Skills & Specialties: WordPress design & development; Content organization; User experience design; Coffee Drinker Extraordinaire
Year Career in Web Began: 1999
Joined ESD 112 in: 2016

My career path has pretty much been straight as an arrow. I’ve been designing and building websites for my entire professional life. Not sure many people can say that! I went to college for graphic design and photography and decided to take a new class that was offered: HTML 1.0. It was amazing to learn how to utilize my design skills to create something that existed (and functioned) on the internet. After working in the Silicon Valley for too many years, my family and I decided it was time to get out and slow down. I’d been working in higher education for the previous five years and felt that this position at ESD 112 would be a great fit for my background.

I live in a house we built on five acres in Washougal, Washington with my husband, two teenage boys (one is licensed…eeps!), two dogs and two cats.

Skills & Specialties: Video Editing, Post-Production, Video Production, Production Coordination, Music Placement
Year Career in Video Began: 2013
Joined ESD 112 in: 2021

I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid, but then I realized you have to be almost literally a rocket scientist and also be fit enough to be in the Air Force, so I decided to follow my artistic passions instead. I studied music and audio production in high school, then found there were more opportunities for video jobs in college and transitioned from audio production to video post-production and film making.

I was born in Nashville, TN, but have lived in five different states. My partner, Sara, and I moved to Oregon a year ago just to try something new. Neither of us had ever lived on the west coast before, and we were burned out by New England winters. We have a rescue dog named Julius who is adorable and also a complete disaster.

Skills & Specialties: Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office, Photography, Infographics
Year Career in Design Began: 1997
Joined ESD 112 in: 2015

I started my career in communications as the editor of my high school newspaper, which is when I realized that I loved the layout process more than writing news stories. After spending the first chunk of my professional journey in marketing and the private sector, I was happy to use my skills for good when I joined the ESD in 2015. My role on our communications team tends to be complex problem solving and distillation. Nothing makes me happier than taking a massive amount of boring, complicated, jargon-filled text and numbers and transforming them into something beautiful, informative and easy to digest.

I live in Ridgefield, Washington on five acres with my husband, four kids, and a menagerie of pets.

Skills & Specialties: Digital Design, Photography, Videography, Drone Piloting
Joined ESD 112 in: 2022

I love shooting video, especially when I’m flying my drone. I’ve spent the most recent part of my design career freelancing as a web designer, videographer & photographer in the Columbia River Gorge. I recently moved to Washougal to be closer to family, and I’m excited to jump into the next chapter in my career working in education for ESD 112. I want to do more than make more money for rich people–I want to make a difference!

Skills & Specialties: Broadcast television, Illustrator, Star Trekker, Baby & Dog Whisperer
Year Career in Video Began: 2001
Joined ESD 112 in: 2021

I started my broadcast career at KOIN television in 2001, and after a bit of time away as a stay-at-home Dad, I am happy to return to broadcasting as the ESD 112 Playback Operator. Being at ESD 112 makes me feel like I’ve come home to a career I really enjoy being in.

Broadcasting is so much fun for me because I can get lost in the work, and it makes me feel good getting wonderful content out into the world. It is a wonderful thing to help creative people share their talents with the world, and in my brief time here, I have seen some incredible talent from the students in the ESD 112 network.

Originally from Dell Rapids, South Dakota, I currently live in Portland, Oregon with my wife, our two sons, and a basement full of cool stuff, like Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon collectables, everything an 80’s child could ever want, and of course…Star Trek.

Skills & Specialties: Copyediting & Proofing, Writing, Project Management, Planning & Organizing
Year Career in Communications Began: 2010
Joined ESD 112 in: 2021

Over the course of my career I’ve worked in corporate retail management (for stores like Sanrio/Hello Kitty, Restoration Hardware, etc.), owned my own specialty candy and chocolate boutique, managed a bed and breakfast on the Big Island of Hawaii, worked in a tiny antique jewelry store, and earned a coveted job as a sea otter and penguin trainer and diver at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. All of these experiences have contributed towards who I am as a person and contributed to the professional experience I draw from in my current job as a Communications Manager.

I’m married to my college sweetheart, and we’re raising three kids together. My mom is living with us while we prepare to build her an ADU next to our charming house in Camas.

Skills & Specialties: Communications, Collaboration, Attention to Detail 
Year Career in Communications Began: 2021
Joined ESD 112 in: 2021

I graduated from WSU with a degree in Human Development and Communications. When I first joined the ESD, I worked in Early Care & Education where I had the opportunity to hone in on my Communications skills. I find fulfillment in working towards our mission of equalizing educational opportunities for learning communities. Over the years I have seen the work ESD 112 does, and I always feel grateful to work for an organization that does so much for our community.

I live in Vancouver with my husband, my two boys and our two guinea pigs (also boys). 

Skills & Specialties: Communications, Multimedia, Social Media, Photography 
Year Career in Communications Began: 2017
Joined ESD 112 in: 2022

I’ve wanted to work in a creative career since I was an elementary student at Minnehaha Elementary in Vancouver Public Schools. As a child, my first dream was to become a creative writer. Younger me would be very proud to see that I now have a job that involves lots of writing and creativity. I enjoy working in a job where I can practice both creativity and strategic planning every day. It’s exciting to have variety in the workday, and freedom to creatively problem-solve communication needs for local school districts. Communications is such a strong tool for strengthening and building awareness for the great things that schools in our area are doing. Together, we can build engagement and positivity around the exciting programs that the schools have to offer! 

I live in Vancouver with my partner, Saul, my three Texan rescue dogs, and my colony of bees. 

Skills & Specialties: Wordsmithing, organizing and executing ideas into reality
Year Career in Communications Began: 2019
Joined ESD 112 in: 2015 and returned in 2023

For as long as I can remember, my goal has been to be a writer. When I was in middle school, my dad set up one of those old, clunky computers in my bedroom, and the only thing on it was Microsoft Word. But that’s all I needed – all of my free time was spent writing stories. My dad still asks me when he’s going to see my book in Barnes & Noble. I started my career with the ESD after college as a secretary in Student & School Success, but the Director of Public Relations at the time recognized that I had a passion for storytelling and asked me to help her team on some smaller writing projects. I eventually left to pursue a more communications-oriented career, but I missed my ESD family! I was happy to not only return to an organization whose mission I whole-heartedly support, but to be able to come back to do the work that I love.

I have three pets that my boyfriend and I lovingly call “the herd”: twin yellow labs (Hazel & Sturgill) and a cat named Dolly. My animals are a huge part of my life! Don’t tell my boyfriend, but Hazel is my soulmate.