Experience

Experience drives decision making:

• 1959 - 1971 Robbinsdale Student, attended Oak Grove Elementary, Neill Elementary, Sandburg Middle School, Cooper High School and Armstrong Coass 1971 (first graduating class, we did a split shift at Cooper until after Thanksgiving of 1970 when we moved into the new high school.  

• 1987, North Hennepin Community College, A.S. Business & Marketing, Magna Cum Laude while being a single mom with 2 little girls.  I was proud to be name a Distinguished Alumni of North Hennepin Community college.  Having my name on that wall is something I cherish.

• 1989, Concordia University, St. Paul, BS, Organizational Behavior and Management, Magna Cum Laude, still have the kids and we were doing fine.  

• Corporate Life 1990 - 2018- It was a different era "back then".  We had to go to work each day (no remote) and we had to wear business clothes, no sneakers nor sweat pants.  In 1990 the economy was terrible and it was still a man's world in corporate.  At the same time, we were beginning to transition from paper to automation and opportunities were beginning to open, the following experiences stand out great areas of experience:

  • • Toro Corporation engineering department, I worked for the lead engineer.  I input all of their engineering specification documents into their new mainframe computer.  (working on a monocramatic screen with Post-It notes everywhere with the various micro commands).  We were all on new turf (so to speak).

    • KPMG Peat Marwick, consulting division where I supported various consultants in their bid for work.  

    • United HealthGroup, Compliance: I started in the mail room and ended up as their Corporate Records Manager, a compliance based job.  I was part of a team of 4 who created and implemented the Records and Information Management Program. I was there for a little more than 10 years.  

    • RJ Bowman and Associates, my own Records and Information Managment Consulting company.  Love it, as automation took over the work space, I was too small and somewhat burnt out.  

    • Aveda Corporation (10 years) where i worked as a technical writer. I working in manufactureing, and distributions creating standard operating proceedures, employee development and training programs, implemented corporate initiatives such as LEAN and created trainings and collateral items for internal environmental programs and anything else they needed.  

    • 1983-1993: Ten years, part time as a group leader and/or paid admin assistant for Dale Carnegie Sales Classes.  I learned through professional develeopment you "made your good better and your better best." by participating in life long learning. 

    • Retired in 2018, I worked at Target in Crystal and Visiting Angels until re-elected to the School Board in 2022.

Community Stewardship

Since the 1960's I have been an active community member across a variety of causes.  

• Growing up in this community, there were plenty of volunteer role models.  From Lions, to Rotarians or Knights of Columbus, PTA's, Scouts, moms and dads were engaged and involved.  I just grew up believeing that everyone  should give.

• The issues of the day made activists out of may middle class high school students during the 60s.  War, famine, racial and gender injustice, power struggles of all varieties seemed to errupt together in the early 1960's. I worked on may of those issues.

• In 1996 I ran for school board and won a one-time five year term that ran from 1997 - 2001

• I was chair of our DFL senate district from 2002 - 2004 when I was elected as mayor of Crystal.  

• Served as Crystal's Mayor from 2005-2012

• When asked to run for school board in 2020.  I was worried I may be too late to the game (didn't decide till July of 2020).  Vowed to supporters that if I did not win, I would campaign again in 2022. I won in 2022.

• 2020 - 2022, pent two years attending every board meeting and work session sitting in the audience watching what was going on, listening to what was being said, digesting the materials provided.

• Won the 2022 election and am now at the end of my 4 years term, asking for your vote to finish the job I started.  

• I am completing my 17th years as a public official.  I learned the ground rules and limitations of these position. I know the complexities of both city and school district governance.  

•  I learned governance is not about personal power,  governance is an intentional collective community promise for a better future for all.