I’m a career journalist who believes sharing the fair and unbiased stories of our communities leads to a stronger, more connected community. I joined the Business Record newsroom in February 2025.

I grew up in Des Moines, where my family owned an auto business and my parents read the Business Record each week. When I was a kid, I enjoyed writing short stories and while attending Dowling High School discovered a passion for journalism as a reporter and editor for the Maroon Tribune. I studied at the University of Arizona in Tucson for two years before transferring to the University of Iowa, where I received a bachelor’s degree in English literature and psychology. 

My first gig was at the Dallas County News in Adel, where my love for journalism was reignited and I went back to the UI to earn my journalism degree. While in school, I had the opportunity to work at some great places, like the Iowa City Gazette and the Associated Press. 

I went on to work at the Iowa City Press-Citizen, a Gannett-owned sister publication of the Des Moines Register, before being asked to write a book. I spent 14 months researching and writing “Iowa: Life Changing,” which was used by the then Iowa Department of Economic Development as a tool to attract companies to the state. 

After that project was complete, my then-husband and I opened a retail store in Coralville, which we later sold, but is still in operation today. That experience taught me so much about the advantages and pitfalls of owning a small business. 

From there, I joined the newsroom at the Corridor Business Journal, where I covered business news in the Iowa City-Cedar Rapids area for seven years as a reporter and later editor.  

Wanting to learn more about coding, I enrolled in a web development bootcamp at the UI’s business school and soon after moved to Fargo at the height of North Dakota’s oil boom. While there, I completed contract work for Microsoft, worked as a newsroom editor for the Fargo Forum and wrote my second book, “Corridor Rising,” a 10-year commemorative book about the 2008 flooding in eastern Iowa. 

Soon after, I was asked to join a national B2B publishing company in Wisconsin, AC Business Media. I wrote and worked as a managing editor for several national publications. 

I’ve been back in Des Moines for a few years now, after being gone for nearly three decades. The city and surrounding suburbs are so different from when I went to high school. While there is much I remember about Des Moines, and much I miss (Babe’s, anyone?) there are so many new people, businesses and attractions for me to discover. I couldn’t be happier to do so at the legendary Business Record. 

When not working, I enjoy spending time with friends and family, having great conversations at coffee shops, visiting museums, attending concerts and community events, creating community, listening to audiobooks, practicing yoga and meditation, writing poetry and short stories, putting together jigsaw puzzles, playing pinball, taking road trips throughout Iowa and hiking at state parks.