Born and raised in Dillon Montana. My mother is a retired teacher and my father a wildlife biologist. I am the oldest of three siblings. I went to undergraduate college at Montana State University and earned a bachelor’s degree in biotechnology. I attended veterinary school at Oklahoma State University and graduated in 2003. After graduation, I worked in mixed animal practice and emergency medicine in northeast Oklahoma. I then had the opportunity to work as the resident veterinarian for Black Rock Ranch in northern Idaho where we raised, trained, and showed cutting and working cow horses. As the ranch ended up being sold, I decided to stay in the area and purchase a general small animal practice which I owned and operated for 11 years. When COVID came I had the opportunity to sell my practice. Part of my decision to sell the practice was that I had an opportunity to return to Oklahoma State University to pursue a post graduate degree in Antimicrobial Resistance and Epidemiology. After completing that work, I returned to Montana to help care for family members and started working at Foothills Animal Hospital and Emergency Center.