I have always been a dreamer with a deep passion for serving others. From launching my first business at the age of 21, to starting a summer day camp at my church in my 30s, to founding and leading a nonprofit in my 40s, each season of my life has been marked by stepping out in faith and building something meaningful. I have been blessed with opportunities to create, lead, and grow ventures that not only succeed but truly impact the lives of the people involved.

In my 20s, I opened a children’s retail clothing and gift store, which eventually expanded to include women’s clothing as well. As the owner, I managed accounting, inventory systems, and our customer database, while also overseeing hiring, team development, merchandising, inventory buying, and marketing. Building and scaling that business sharpened my operational leadership skills and strengthened my ability to balance creativity with strategy. It taught me how to build strong systems, analyze financials, forecast trends, and create an exceptional customer experience.

In my 30s, while raising young children, I collaborated with my church to launch a five-week summer day camp program. What began as a vision grew into a thriving program serving children from Pre-K through a high school servant leadership team. Each year, we wrote curriculum, hired and trained staff, and implemented structured programming designed to develop character and leadership. I oversaw marketing, developed program guidelines, managed registration systems, and built the operational processes needed to sustain and grow the camp year after year.

In 2016, I recognized a growing need in our community to serve families facing crisis and housing instability. I gathered a team of passionate individuals and founded Grace Like Rain. Together, we built the organization from the ground up—establishing governance, developing programs, building community partnerships, and creating strong operational systems. I led a team of amazing individuals through strategic planning, donor engagement, branding, fundraising events, and spearheaded housing development efforts from concept to city approval.

In 2021, we merged with another organization and rebranded as Giving Grace, expanding our impact and strengthening long-term sustainability. In executive leadership roles, I oversaw nonprofit operations, strategic growth, federal HUD grant writing and management, budgeting, compliance, team leadership, and community partnerships. Over five years, we scaled the organization to serve more than 1,000 families annually and raised over $6 million to support housing and crisis response initiatives. Throughout this journey, I have focused on strategic thinking, organizational development, innovation, and building strong teams aligned around a shared mission.