"4-H provided a lot of positive relationships and as kids we were given a voice that helped boost confidence."
B.S. '99 Political Science, Northern Illinois University; M.S. '02 Public Administration, Northern Illinois University; '06 GIS Analyst Certificate, Northern Illinois University
Senior Research Specialist, Northern Illinois University
Favorite 4-H Projects: Child care, dog training, hamster raising, horse care, cake decorating, and then lobbying for 4-H in Springfield and then going on the Washington Focus trip to DC!
How did 4-H contribute to your leadership skills today?
Considering I have always been involved in public service I have no concerns about giving presentations or talking with our legislators. The experiences gave me the confidence to forge ahead and now I do research and engage stakeholders in several arenas such as education in Illinois, economic development, community development and most recently completing a lot of work with the 2020 Census as I am a partner with the Census Bureau as well and the interim lead for the State Data Center network.
Did any of your 4-H projects instill a career path for you?
Not the projects themselves, but the lobbying opportunities that I was involved in sparked my interest in public service and so I have been doing that my entire career life!
What advice do you have for someone interested in your career path?
Don't be afraid to make mistakes and find something that you are passionate about so that your job is your life that you enjoy. My position did not exist but I had a Director that had the philosophy of hiring the right people and getting out of their way - so I had a lot of latitude in creating a name for myself and building new projects for local and state government on a wide variety of topics
What advice would you give a current 4-H member?
Get as involved in the projects as possible and don't wait until the night before the fair to put your final project together! Been there, done that!
Why should young people join 4-H today?
The most important piece is having fun and learning new skills, meeting people of all walks of life and having experiences that are not common for students - such as lobbying. I had no idea what it was about but after the first trip it was so much fun. I was so excited that one of the legislators I met up with invited us to their legislator picnic on the state fair grounds so our entire group was able to go have a free dinner and meet with all of the legislators. It was such a great evening for everyone and I will never forget it.