Where I Stand on the Issues
Thoughtful, practical approaches grounded in the needs of our community.
Where I Stand on the Issues
I’m running to represent Georgia House District 45 because I believe state government should help create opportunity, support families, and make everyday life work better for the people it serves.
My priorities for East Cobb are strengthening public education, making healthcare more accessible and affordable, supporting families and caregivers, addressing rising costs, and planning responsibly for growth. Across these issues, I bring the same approach I’ve used as a researcher and in public service: listen to the people affected, examine the evidence, protect taxpayer dollars, and focus on solutions that deliver results.
Public Education and Opportunity
Strong public schools opened doors for me, and I want every child to have that same opportunity. I grew up in East Cobb and benefited from Georgia public schools, the HOPE Scholarship, and a Pell Grant before earning three degrees from the University of Georgia and becoming a professor. Now I’m raising twins in our local public schools.
What I believe
Public education should be a pathway to opportunity for every child, regardless of their background or zip code. That means sustained investment in our schools, supporting the educators who make them work, and making sure students have the resources they need to thrive.
What I’ll focus on
Strengthening long-term investment in Georgia’s public schools so every school has the resources it needs
Supporting and retaining educators through better working conditions, competitive compensation, and professional respect
Expanding counselors, mental health resources, and other whole-child supports
Making sure public schools can effectively serve all learners, including students with specialized needs
Ensuring accountability and transparency for public education dollars
Strong public schools are one of the most important investments Georgia can make in our children, our communities, and our future.
Healthcare and Families
Healthcare should be accessible, affordable, and easier for families to navigate. At the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, I evaluated healthcare programs and worked to protect taxpayers from fraud, waste, and abuse. That experience taught me how important it is to look not only at what a program promises to do, but whether it is actually working for the people it is meant to serve.
What I believe
Strong families depend on strong systems of care. People should be able to get the healthcare they need without facing unpredictable costs or unnecessary barriers, and families should have support as they raise children, care for aging parents, and help loved ones with specialized needs.
Healthcare, childcare, mental health, and caregiving may show up as separate policy issues, but families often experience them all at once.
What I’ll focus on
Expanding access to preventive, primary, and mental healthcare
Lowering healthcare and health insurance costs and making those costs more transparent and predictable for families
Supporting practical solutions that improve health outcomes while protecting taxpayer dollars
Expanding access to affordable, high-quality childcare
Strengthening support for family caregivers, aging adults, and long-term care needs
Making it easier for families to find and navigate the services and resources available to them
Families shouldn’t have to become experts in complicated systems just to get the care and support they need. Good policy should make those systems work better for the people who rely on them.
Rising Costs and Responsible Growth
East Cobb families feel the effects of state decisions in everyday life, from household costs and utility bills to traffic, development, and the time it takes to get where we need to go. My service on local zoning boards taught me that growth works best when communities plan ahead and understand the long-term consequences of the decisions they make.
What I believe
Georgia’s growth brings real opportunities, including new jobs and economic investment. But growth also creates demands on our roads, schools, power grid, water supply, and other public infrastructure. We should understand those impacts before problems arise and make sure families and communities aren’t left absorbing the costs.
That is especially important as Georgia sees rapid growth in industries like data centers, which can bring economic investment while also placing significant demands on power, water, and infrastructure.
What I’ll focus on
Addressing rising household costs, from groceries and utility bills to other everyday expenses affected by state policy
Planning for transportation and infrastructure needs before congestion and capacity problems become worse
Making sure growth and development are supported by adequate roads, schools, utilities, and public services
Evaluating the infrastructure and resource demands of data centers and other large-scale development
Protecting ratepayers and communities from unfairly absorbing the costs associated with major new development
Supporting economic growth and good jobs while protecting the neighborhoods and quality of life that make communities like East Cobb special
Ending costly tax breaks for data centers when the benefits don’t justify the costs to Georgia taxpayers
Georgia can grow and prosper without asking families to shoulder the consequences of poor planning. Responsible growth means looking ahead, understanding the tradeoffs, and making sure our infrastructure keeps pace with the communities and economy it serves.
Where I Stand on More Issues
The priorities above are at the heart of why I’m running, but they aren’t the only issues that matter to our community. State lawmakers make decisions that touch nearly every part of our lives, and voters deserve to know where their representatives stand.
Explore the topics below to learn more about my approach to the issues facing East Cobb and Georgia.
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The reality
Reproductive healthcare includes a wide range of care, from contraception and fertility treatment to pregnancy, miscarriage care, and maternal healthcare. These decisions can involve complex medical circumstances, and laws governing reproductive care can directly affect the options available to patients and their healthcare providers.
What I believe
My views on reproductive healthcare are shaped by personal experience. My husband and I spent four years going through fertility treatment, including five rounds of IVF, before we welcomed our twins.
That journey taught me firsthand how deeply personal and medically complex reproductive healthcare can be. There are decisions, diagnoses, risks, and circumstances that simply cannot be anticipated by politicians writing laws.
I believe women and families should have access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare and the ability to make deeply personal medical decisions with the people they trust and the healthcare professionals caring for them.
I also recognize that people of good faith hold different beliefs about abortion and when life begins. I respect that these are deeply held convictions. My own view is that our laws must leave room for medical complexity, including circumstances in which a pregnancy threatens a woman's health or is no longer viable.
What I’ll focus on
Protecting access to contraception, fertility treatment, and IVF
Protecting access to medically necessary reproductive healthcare, including miscarriage care
Supporting maternal healthcare before, during, and after pregnancy
Ensuring that patients and their healthcare providers have room to make decisions based on individual medical circumstances
Supporting policies that help families access fertility care and other reproductive healthcare
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The reality
A strong economy depends on people having access to stable, well-paying jobs and clear pathways to build their future. But for many, those pathways are not always clear or easy to navigate.What I believe
Economic opportunity should be within reach for everyone who is willing to work for it. That means creating an environment where businesses can grow, workers can succeed, and communities can thrive together.I believe we need practical, forward-looking solutions that reduce unnecessary barriers, strengthen our workforce, and support long-term economic stability.
What I’ll focus on
Supporting workforce development and job training aligned with today’s economy
Strengthening connections between education, skills, and career pathways
Supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs by reducing barriers and improving access to opportunity
Making it easier for businesses to navigate permitting, licensing and day-to-day operations
Promoting economic policies that support long-term growth, stability, and competitiveness
A strong economy is one where people have the opportunity to build a stable future and businesses have the environment they need to grow. -
The reality
People want to feel safe where they live, work, and raise their families.
Safety is not only about responding to incidents. It is also about creating communities where challenges are addressed early and thoughtfully.What I believe
Public safety starts with trust, accountability, and a shared commitment to looking out for one another. Strong communities are built when people feel secure, supported, and confident in the systems designed to protect them.I believe in a balanced approach that supports law enforcement, strengthens community partnerships, and focuses on prevention as much as response.
What I’ll focus on
Ensuring law enforcement has the resources, training, and support needed to serve effectively
Strengthening partnerships between public safety professionals and the communities they serve through consistent communication and local engagement
Investing in prevention strategies that address root causes and reduce long-term risk
Supporting mental health resources and crisis response systems that help people before situations escalate
Promoting transparency and accountability to build trust and confidence across our communities
Safe, stable communities do not happen by accident. They are built through trust, thoughtful leadership, and a shared commitment to one another. -
The reality
Redistricting is a normal part of our democracy. Every ten years, after the U.S. Census, states redraw legislative districts to account for population changes and help ensure that each representative serves roughly the same number of people. But how those maps are drawn matters.
Communities are more than collections of streets and voting precincts. They are neighborhoods, schools, businesses, faith communities, and families with shared experiences and challenges. When district boundaries divide or reshape those communities, it can affect how effectively people are represented and how connected they feel to the officials who serve them.
What I believe
Fair representation isn't about guaranteeing a particular political outcome or favoring one party over another. I believe our democracy works best when communities are respected, the process earns public confidence, and elected officials remain accountable to the people they serve.
Here in East Cobb, many residents have watched their legislative districts change even though they haven't moved. People shouldn't need to become redistricting experts to understand who represents them or to feel confident that their community has a meaningful voice.
Republicans, Democrats, and Independents all deserve confidence that elections are fair, communities are respected, and public officials remain accountable to the people they represent.
What I’ll focus on
Supporting a transparent redistricting process that earns public confidence
Respecting established communities and shared community interests when drawing district boundaries
Giving the public meaningful opportunities to understand and participate in the redistricting process
Supporting fair representation and meaningful choices for voters
Keeping elected officials accountable to the people they represent
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about where I stand.
If this approach resonates with you, I invite you to be part of this work.