As the daughter of public servants, I grew up watching my parents serve our country in Washington, D.C., Iraq, Sudan, Tanzania, and Italy. They instilled in me a passion to serve in whatever capacity I could—much of it as a teacher and now as a state representative in the Montana legislature.
I began a career as a middle school social studies teacher in Montana, which I loved. I was named Montana history teacher of the year and had a unique opportunity to help create a much-needed new textbook for social studies students learning about Montana history.
One of the very first things I did when I began teaching was to join my union. I was active in my union, but when I retired from full-time teaching, I became even more active. I now serve as board chair for public employee retirees and on the executive board of the Montana Federation of Public Employees.
As a legislator, I have focused on issues related to education, particularly working to stem the growing pressure both within and out-of-state to use public resources to support private schools.
I also founded Montanans Organized for Education, an advocacy group focused on raising awareness about growing attempts in Montana to funnel public funds to private, for-profit institutions that can and do discriminate.
Unions have a long, important history, and they continue to play a pivotal role today. Their ability to grow and thrive is a major concern of mine in the legislature.
Anti-union, anti-labor legislation was brought before the House several times this session. We were able to defeat all the bills thanks to the extraordinary activism of union members.
They contacted legislators relentlessly and lined the halls to oppose a right-to-work bill. Their presence was critical and proved that labor is nonpartisan and union organizing works.
Due to term limits I will leave office, but the attacks on public education and union organizing are not going to stop—and neither will I. It will continue to be my mission to advocate for public education, our unions, and our right to organize.
