I joined the Office of Residence Life in 2004 and served as the Assistant Director for Academic & Leadership Development, then the Associate Director for Student and Staff Development before becoming Director in 2014. In this role, I am responsible for the direction and development of a comprehensive residence life department, including programs, services, and facilities, for a residence hall system with a capacity of 3,000 students. I oversee, personally and through supervision, 11 full-time professionals, one full-time support staff, two graduate assistants, and 100 student staff. I also work closely with students and other University staff members to administer policies and operational procedures for the Office of Residence Life.

I am originally from Iowa where I completed my Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing from Iowa Wesleyan College and my Master of Science degree in higher education administration from Iowa State University. In 2011, I received my Doctorate of Education in educational leadership from the University of Missouri. My research compared the social and academic integration of first-year students at Southeast based on the style of housing in which they resided.

Before coming to Southeast, I served as an Area Coordinator with the Department of Residence Life at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and a Residential Learning Coordinator with the Office of Residential Life and Housing at Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana.

Outside of work, I am married to Warren, a mental health counselor in the Cape Girardeau community. I so enjoy spending time with our two rescue dogs (Rudy & Piper), watching Chicago Bears football, and spending time outdoors at our home in the country.