My involvement and passion for public service began at a very young age. When I was 16 years old I was informed by a guidance counselor about a program where I could work at the State House as a volunteer tour guide. That was it for me!   I loved learning about the heritage of our Commonwealth and passing it along to others as they toured that historical building. That experience sparked my interest and led me to where I am today.

Currently I am serving as Vice Chairman of the Arlington School Committee and Chairman of the Budget Subcommittee.    I have been a Town Meeting Member since 2003 and an elected member of the Arlington Democratic Town Committee since 2004.

When I was elected to the Arlington School Committee in 2005 I led the effort to address the needs of students in our Special Education and ELL programs. We worked to increase the amount of reading specialists throughout our school system. I became the first member of the School Committee to join the Superintendent’s Diversity Advisory Committee working to increase the amount of minority staff throughout the Arlington Public Schools. Additionally, I joined the Title IX committee, which is a group that works to create equity among men’s and women’s athletics. Safety has been a huge concern of mine while on the Arlington School Committee. This is one of the reasons why I spoke out against cutting the compensation of the Arlington Traffic Supervisors. Even during difficult fiscal times I’ve worked to increase services to our students. I was influential in establishing the safety officer position at Arlington High School, the restoration of the Social Studies Chairman position, and as the Chairman of the Policies and Procedures Subcommittee I helped bring people together and established the Nutrition and Wellness Policy for the Arlington Public Schools. I truly believe in the importance of bringing our community together and having more civic participation in our society. I have worked with a group of students teaching them the importance of civics and getting involved in their community, working on environmental issues, including what they can do as young people to tackle global warming. One of my most rewarding moments as a School Committee member was taking a group of students from the Ottoson Middle School to the United Nations in New York City for the International Day of Peace. As a member of the committee I have been an independent voice, and I have worked hard to bring the committee together on issues that were potentially divisive.           

As a graduate student at Suffolk University I am enrolled in a dual masters program majoring in Political Science and Public Administration. I earned my B.A. from The University of Massachusetts at Lowell majoring in Political Science. While at the University of Massachusetts I became the Vice-President of the International Relations Club where I competed in Model United Nations competitions in Toronto, New York City, and in Geneva. I am a graduate of the Arlington Public School system and a lifelong resident of Arlington.

In 2004 I campaigned for John Kerry in New Hampshire during the primary and I traveled to Iowa during the caucus. That summer I worked at the Democratic National Convention as Assistant to the Deputy Director of Communications. Since 2002 I have been involved in campaigns for other candidates, such as Angus McQuilken for his State Senate race and former Senate President Thomas Birmingham in his gubernatorial effort.

Although my primary focus on public service has been the school system I have worked on environmental issues with Vision 2020 and the Mystic Shores Neighborhood Team where we have addressed issues of flooding in the Mystic River area that encompasses Arlington and West Medford. I have been a regular volunteer with the Council on Aging, working to deliver services to our Senior Citizen population in Arlington. Over the years I have volunteered my services to our community in many ways by working with Special Olympic swimming instruction, helping in soup kitchens, and teaching religious education. I was taught at a young age that service to others should be a priority in my life and today it most definitely is what I live by.