Please tell us a little about your background.
I am an Arizona native, attending Glendale High School, ASU for my Bachelor’s and NAU for my Master’s. I started my career in municipal government by volunteering with the Glendale Police Dept. and found out that I really loved being a dispatcher. I spent time in the Glendale Court and Manager’s office before I was asked to “help out” in the Clerk’s office. After spending over 30 years with Glendale, the City Clerk position became available with the City of Goodyear and I was selected to be the next clerk. I’ve been the Clerk for over 5 years now and have enjoyed my time here immensely. I recently was awarded the AMCA President’s Award of Distinction and was the recipient of the first AMCA Deputy City Clerk of the Year Award in 2016. I continue to give back and while I don’t foster puppies anymore (I ended up keeping them), I do give back to my chosen profession after being elected to the Board for a second go-round.
What prompted you to go into the municipal clerk profession?
I think it is more of a case of being asked to be a part of the clerk profession..before being asked to “help out” in the Clerk’s office, I knew very little about what the office did. Once I started in the acting Deputy City Clerk position, I found I had an affinity for the work and liked the rules and regulations that came with it. I quickly became certified as a Certified Municipal Clerk and followed shortly after with my Master Municipal Clerk designation.
What is your history and involvement with AMCA?
I became a member of AMCA in 2005. I quickly became involved in committees in the organization and really liked the people and how helpful they were. I’m not afraid to say there were several that I really looked up to and now I can call them friends. I was elected to the AMCA Board in 2008 and served until 2014. I was elected to my second Board service in 2019.
What goals are you most proud of that have been achieved since you became president of AMCA?
As a Board we have agreed to do away with our paper notebooks and use our digitized forms from the website instead. This will allow us to update forms easier and provide information to incoming Board members without having to have a face to face meeting to transfer documents. Additionally, the membership voted to update our Board structure. The plans are being worked on to allow for the transition to the new position and should be available soon.
What do you still hope to accomplish before your term as president expires next July?
I am hoping to update our strategic plan since so many of our goals have been accomplished. We’ve also noticed that our members and their expectations of the AMCA have changed and we want to make sure we are meeting their needs as an association. I also hope to complete the first step in the transition to the new Board structure. This is an exciting time for the AMCA and it’s great to be a part of it.
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