When I was eight years old, a barn I passed every Sunday caught fire. I never forgot it. Seeing that loss left a lasting impression and sparked a lifelong desire to understand fire, and more importantly, how tragedies like that can be prevented.

My life has always bridged two worlds: horses and public service. I started riding at eleven and became a working student, learning horse care, training, and riding from the ground up. I was active in 4-H and Civil Air Patrol, where I flew a plane before I ever drove a car.

At nineteen, I began volunteering with my local fire department, entering the field that had fascinated me since childhood. I earned an Associate of Applied Science in Fire Science, and while finishing my degree I also took equine science coursework through a concurrent equestrian program. Later, I studied business entrepreneurship at LDS Business College in Utah before returning home to Virginia. With help from my grandparents, I bought my first farm and welcomed my first horse.

Over the years I've worked as a barn manager, instructor, trainer, and rider at many facilities, and spent a summer as a hot walker for a Thoroughbred trainer at Colonial Downs. On the emergency side, I served as an EMT and driver in medical transport, then became an Aircraft Rescue Firefighter/EMT at Richmond International Airport. I rose to Senior Lieutenant, running my own shift, and was deeply involved in fire prevention: CPR instruction, commercial fire inspections, and fire extinguisher and safety training.

In 2015, I married my husband, Randy, whom I met in the Fire Academy, and in 2016 we welcomed our daughter, Emma. I loved the fire service, but the long shifts and frequent overtime eventually became unsustainable for my family. In 2023, I made the difficult decision to step away to focus on family needs, manage our farm, and support my husband's construction business.

Leaving the fire service was hard. It's still a core part of who I am. That's what led me to create Equestrian Safety Group: a way to keep doing what I've always cared about most, which is prevention and education, for the equestrian community I've been part of my entire life.

I'm also neurodivergent (AuDHD), and I've found it's a real strength in this work. It helps me spot risks, recognize patterns, and think about safety systems with depth and creativity. It also means I know what it's like to see the world a little differently, and I bring that understanding to every walkthrough.

Preventable tragedies should be addressed before they happen, not after. That's why I'm here.