As a single mother, my mother raised me in Lake City and Capitol Hill while working her way through the University of Washington and later teaching community college students for three decades. 

I followed in her footsteps in public service. Fresh out of law school, I fought for Seattle residents as a public defender with the Seattle Defender Association, and later, fought for children and families as a family law attorney. As Chair of the Seattle Human Rights Commission, I advocated for constitutional policing and accountability for the Seattle Police Department. As Interim City Clerk, I oversaw the legislative operations of the Seattle City Council. 

My greatest privilege was serving as an elected King County Superior Court Judge, where I served, without fear or favor, all in our community. In addition to ruling in criminal, family law, and mental illness trials, I upheld Attorney General Ferguson’s lawsuit against Pharma Purdue, a case that eventually resulted  in a landmark settlement to fund opioid treatment. Committed to racial justice, I also worked on criminal legal system reform.

My husband and I raised three sons, now adults and all graduates of Seattle Public Schools. These were not easy times. Like many Seattleites, we were unable to afford to purchase a home in the city and so rented for close to twenty years. We struggled at times to pay the bills, especially after our insurance company denied coverage for my husband’s cancer treatment and he was let go from his job. Not long after that, with three teenagers at home, I became my mother’s caregiver due to a catastrophic stroke. 

Today, my husband owns and runs a successful small business, we are homeowners, we are all healthy, and our sons are making their way in the world. It is my mission to create a city where it is possible for all Seattleites to have the privileges and good fortune that I and my family have enjoyed.