I am proud to represent the City of Vadnais Heights

During my past 4 years as a city council member (Jan 2023 - current), I have had the opportunity to represent our community at various city and broader community sponsored events.

Vadnais Heights Green Team

I have enjoyed participating in events hosted by the Vadnais Heights Green Team, including their Clothing Swaps, Adopt a Drain clean-ups, and in their Native Plant Winter Seed Sowing Workshops where I’ve been the guest presenter sharing my knowledge about winter seed sowing of Minnesota native flowers and grasses. It has been a joy to see the VH Green Team grow and continue to bring new events and projects. Their most recent project is the Native Plant Food Forest, which opened to the public during 2026 Vadnais Heights Days. This is located at Community Park.

Showing Up in the Community as a Council Member

Another highlight of my time so far representing the City of Vadnais Heights has the new opportunities that became available to me as an elected representative. These have included riding along with Fire Staff for August’s Night to Unite, and participating in Vadnais Heights Days.

2023 Started New Vadnais Heights Days Traditions for City Council!

I have greatly enjoyed walking (and throwing candy!) in the City parade, and getting dunked in the Scout’s Dunk Tank. These traditions started in 2023 when Mike Krachmer, Kelly Jozwowski, Erik Goebel, and then Council member Steve Rogers asked City Staff if we could get involved in in Vadnais Heights Days. We saw City Council reps from Little Canada and Shoreview participating in their City events, and thought - we should, too!!

Dunk Tank: This one is a highlight of the year! I’m not sure why, but lots of the young kids in our community just love to try to dunk their council members! And even if they’re not successfully at throwing the ball at the paddle, in acknowledgement of their donations to the Scouts, we let them hit the paddle and dunk us anyways! (Caveat - this is primarily for young children. Some of those teens and adults don’t always get this offer. They’ve had more years to practice throwing a ball. They maybe need to keep practicing!). It’s been great to help raise money for the Scouts each year. I’ll be adding pictures to share and memorialize these moments.

Parade: It’s been fun to start this tradition in 2023 of the City Council walking in the parade. It is great to participate in this city event, and get out among our residents and community in a way that isn’t just in council chambers. I hope this tradition continues on!

Prior to my 2022 election to office -

• Vadnais Height’s Planning Commission: 2020-2022

• Volunteer Work with Vadnais Lakes Area Water Management Organization (VLAWMO): I hosted rain barrel workshops and invited the public to my home to see ways (e.g. rain barrels, rain gardens, native flower plantings) that private property can contribute to water management, resilient landscaping, and support wildlife. I was recognized for my volunteer efforts with the VLAWMO "Volunteer of the Year" award in 2021. I also completed training to be a Minnesota Water Steward plan projects in their own yards to increase resiliency, wildlife value, and help with storm water management.

Since January 2023, I have been serving as a City of Vadnais Heights Council Member. I have utilized my scientific training from my Microbiology PhD, my finance skills from my time as a Biotech Stock Analyst, and my regulatory and quality mindset honed from the past decade as a Regulatory Affairs Professional for medical devices.

Beyond my skills developed from my education and career, I also bring skills as a council member from being a mother of a young child. My daughter is entering into the 1st grade with the White Bear Lake School District this fall. When I make decisions on behalf of the residents of Vadnais Heights, I have the mindset of a mother who’s trying to build a successful future for the community I am raising my daughter in. My decisions are not based on what gets us through a yearly budget cycle, but are based on what happens between now and 10, 20 and more years into the future. This is why long-term planning has been a priority for me, and has been a priority reflected in my actions as an elected council member.

Below are the skills I claimed during my 2022 campaign:

I believe I have the skills necessary to be a successful representative for you in our city government.

As a scientist-by-training (Microbiology Ph.D - this links to my publications.), I have critical-thinking and problem-solving skills. I can deep dive into a topic to understand it from multiple perspectives. I enjoy engaging in thoughtful discussions, particularly when it challenges my understanding and helps me learn (who wants to live in an echo chamber of the same ideas and opinions anyways?). This will be helpful in making sure our City Council makes the best decisions for our community.

I know how to read and analyze financial statements. I worked for investment banks after graduate school. That’s a fun story how this happened. If you’re curious - I’ve provided more details about my career path below.

Research Scientist turned Investment Banker

I am a life-long learner with a never-ending need to learn and discover. This personality trait is a large part of the reason I pursued a doctorate degree (Ph.D.) in Microbiology and thought I would one day be a tenured professor and run a research lab. However, I also have an interest in business and finance, so that interest drew me away from “research bench” science into the work of Biotech Equity Research.

I used to work for investment banks as a Biotech Stock Analyst. The banks wanted Ph.D. scientists that knew how to dive deep into the science and determine if the clinical trial drug/therapeutic would likely work, and if it did, how well and how many people would use this product when it eventually reaches the market. This role required an understanding of both science and finance. The science part was easy. However, finance was not something I learned from my Bachelors and Ph.D. in Microbiology. I self-taught myself finance through studying for the Chartered Financial Analyst Level 1 Exam (click link to learn what this is). I studied for this exam on my free time during my Microbiology Ph.D. studies. I learned financial accounting, equity investments, portfolio management and other financial topics. I was successful in passing that 5-hour long exam (which has a pass rate of about 50%, despite test takers being largely MBA students) - and passing that exam was essential to getting the job on Wall Street.

In my Stock Analyst role, I examined financial statements of biotechnology companies, used Excel to develop financial models that project company expenses and revenues. These financial models derived stock price targets which were then used to give Buy/Hold/Sell ratings on stocks. My work was packaged into research reports that were then sold to hedge funds and mutual funds, or used by the bank’s internal sales/trading desks to drive stock transactions. It was intense work that didn’t slow down in the evenings or weekends. I eventually decided sacrificing work/life balance was not my life goal. It paid very well, but there was no time to even enjoy life. Also, it was not a fulfilling career when you realize that your career and life was basically dedicated to “making rich people even richer.” I left investment banking and returned back to my roots in Minnesota.

Now I am a Regulatory Affairs Professional

Now I work for Abbott Diabetes Care, a business unit of of Abbott - a large nutritional and medical device company. I am a Regulatory Affairs Professional who supports new product development like the FreeStyle Libre 3 Continuous Glucose Monitor hat has helped many individuals manage diabetes better and lead more independent and fulfilling lives. #AbbottProud. My current work involves understanding medical device regulations, developing the regulatory strategy for introducing new medical devices to the US market. I have found this career to satisfy my life-long learner needs, incorporate strategic business/regulatory thinking, and fulfill my desire to contribute to something beneficial to society.

I am proud of the progress the city has made in planning for our future during my time as a Council Member.

Budget Planning:

In 2023, a 10-year Capital Improvement Plan was started (compared to 5-year), and in the near future a 15-20 year plan will be developed. We need to anticipate and plan for the needs more than 10 years from now - and certainly more than 5 years in the future which was the planning in all our budget cycles prior to 2023! I am grateful that since 2023, the Vadnais Heights City Council has shown in their budget actions to be looking more than just 5 years into the future. Please take a look at the budgets from pre-2023 relative to 2023 to current and I hope it can be seen that Capital Improvement Planning is much more detailed and built out. We can no longer hope we have the capital for large purchases when the equipment needs replacement - we need to actively plan and save for our large purchases.

Proactive Code Enforcement:

Hired a Code Enforcement Officer in 2025. Prior to this new hire, our Fire Chief had the responsibility to enforce code. I am proud that our suburban city no longer expects our Fire Chief to visit houses to write citations for tall grass and abandoned vehicles. Our Fire Chief needs to focus on overseeing our first response services for the city - focusing on an efficient Fire Staff team to save lives and address the 1800+ calls they receive a year.

Other changes:

Joined the TreeTrust program to encourage the planting of new trees throughout the city.

Installed solar panels on City Hall - taking advantage of federal rebate programs, resulting in energy savings for the city.

I have been a Regulatory Affairs Professional for the past 9 years, supporting medical devices.

I am #AbbottProud to have been the regulatory affairs lead for Abbott Diabetes Care’s product submission for the first-in-class sensor capable of providing both continuous ketone and glucose readings. This product will help people living with diabetes detect warning signs of a potentially dangerous high ketone complication before it becomes a medical emergency.

FDA Press Release

Abbott Press Release

It was a privilege to be the Regulatory Affairs lead for this US FDA product authorization. I served on a cross-functional team through product development and through FDA product authorization to achieve this milestone for Abbott and for persons living with diabetes. I am grateful for the professional experience I gained, working for several years with other amazing Abbott colleagues, through multiple FDA submissions - from initiating clinical trials, participating in FDA teleconferences, and ultimately achieving product authorization of a Breakthrough Device Designated device through the De Novo Classification Request pathway. This experience has certainly been a highlight of my career as a Regulatory Affairs Professional so far.

Minnesota Native

I grew up in Willmar, Minnesota - a rural city in West Central Minnesota with about 20,000 residents. I was raised with an appreciation for nature early in life due to living outside the city limits on a 2-acre lot near lakes and wetlands. Similar to Vadnais Heights, I frequently saw deer and other wildlife in the yard and welcomed a feeling of being a part of nature. The majority of my extended family resides either in the Twin Cities area, or within an hour drive. I am happy to live in a state and in a community that prioritizes the natural environment and the feeling of living among nature. It’s a great bonus that my extended family remains close to me in Minnesota.

I have lived in many communities, but Vadnais Heights is my favorite

I have lived in multiple, varying states and urban settings through my lifetime which has given me a variety of experiences of community, including:

Within Minneapolis and St. Paul city limits: 2006-2010 during undergraduate at the University of Minnesota (Microbiology B.S.).

In Coralville, Iowa and Cedar Rapids, Iowa during graduate school at the University of Iowa from 2010-2016 (Microbiology Ph.D). My husband and I met during that time and we got married in 2014.

Midtown Manhattan of New York City. (2016-2017). That’s an expensive place to live and we lived in a studio apartment! 478 square feet apartment, with $2,800/month rent - in 2016!!

Evanston, Illinois - just outside Chicago city limits (2017).

And then back to Minnesota.

My husband and I fell in love with the lakes and trails of Vadnais Heights. We choose to start our family here. We welcomed to the world our daughter Ember in 2020.

Gardening for Pollinators and Wildlife

If you read about my engagement in our community, I hope you took away that I care about the environment. My appreciation for nature is reflected in the gardens I sustain for pollinators and wildlife, as well as my volunteer work.

Kettlebell Sport

I compete in kettlebell sport, which is a rather obscure sport. The events I have competed in are:

10 minute, 16KG (~35lb) single arm long cycle (which is a clean/jerk movement). My personal best was 119 reports, just one rep short of “Candidate Master of Sport” ranking.

10 minute, 16KG double arm long cycle. My personal best was 51 reps, which took me about 6.5 minutes.

I have achieved “Rank 1” in both those events.