I have lived in Waukesha County my entire life.  I can proudly say that both my father and my uncle were police officers with the City of Waukesha Police Department. Through their service, I developed  a strong interest in law enforcement and the law at a very early age.  During the summers, my dad would take me to court when he had to testify.  I was able to watch not only him testify, but also the process.  He introduced the prosecutors to me who would share a little about themselves and what they did.  I knew very early on that working as a prosecutor was important and a career I was quite interested in pursuing.

I attended Waukesha public schools from kindergarten through high school graduation. While attending Waukesha North High School I was on the varsity track team.  During high school I also worked for an insurance agent.  Upon graduation from Waukesha North High School I attended UW-Waukesha for my first two years of college. I was able to live at home these first two years as well as work at Waukesha State Bank as a bank teller.  After two years at UW-Waukesha I transferred to UW-Whitewater, while continuing to work at Waukesha State Bank.  Subsequently, I was accepted into an internship program through UW-Whitewater at the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.  I worked with one of the Deputy District Attorneys who taught legal updates to law enforcement officers.  My work included research on search and seizure issues.  This sparked my interest in the constitutional issues surrounding law enforcement actions.  I graduated with a general business major and a pre-law minor.  

After graduation, I began working in the Management Training Program at Waukesha State Bank and I was promoted to a Trust Officer.  I worked with clients on account investments and the management of their trusts, which included approving expenditures. After a couple years, and after paying off my undergraduate loans, I pursued my dream of becoming a prosecutor.  I was accepted into UW Law School, which at the time was one of the top law schools in the U.S. for criminal justice.  I participated in the UW Law School Prosecution Program and I was placed in the Waukesha County District Attorney’s Office.  I worked full time in the office the summer before I graduated and continued to work there during my fall semester.  I handled court calendars, motion hearings and jury trials.  It was during this time, I knew without a doubt that I was going to be a career prosecutor. I graduated a semester early from law school and was immediately hired as a prosecutor in the Waukesha County D.A.’s Office, where I have been for 29 years.