Communities thrive when people have equitable access to opportunity, resources, AND when their voices are given a platform to be heard in shaping their future. My work is grounded in bridging the gap between research and community priorities to co-create solutions that are both practical and sustainable - engaging communities to address the opportunities and challenges in front of them.

As a community engagement consultant, I work with nonprofits, government agencies, higher education institutions, and regional organizations to address the complex challenges facing underrepresented, distressed, and low-income communities. My areas of focus include economic mobility, higher education access, rural health, and community-centered planning that advances long-term resilience.

My professional background includes leading Regional Economic Innovation (REI) for Michigan State University's Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED), a U.S. Economic Development Administration University Center, where I coordinated regional initiatives that brought together statewide experts and advisors, universities, public agencies, community organizations, and private-sector partners to solve complex community challenges. This work was recognized with MSU's 2026 Distinguished Partnership Award for Community Engaged Service, and contributed to the university earning its Innovation and Economic Prosperity designation from the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities. I've shared this approach as a published author in Metropolitan Universities and as a featured presenter at national convenings. Earlier in my career, I built policy expertise through congressional and legislative policy work, housing policy research and advocacy, and community-based crisis response and recovery efforts.

These experiences have strengthened my ability to facilitate productive conversations across diverse perspectives while helping organizations and communities move from ideas to implementation.