A woman with long dark hair, wearing glasses, black top, and jeans, sits on a white vintage-style sofa holding a stack of books balanced on her head and lap. She looks to the side with a surprised expression, and has tattoos on her arm. A plant is partially visible on the left, and the background is plain white.

HOW I GOT HERE

I started in marketing communications, helping Fortune 500 companies and startups connect with audiences through award-winning campaigns. Graduate training in developmental psychology deepened my understanding of human behavior and decision-making. Together, those foundations shape how I approach policy and governance today.

Everything shifted when I joined a healthcare AI startup. I supervised a 12-person annotation team training conversational models, partnered with clinical leadership, and navigated FDA-related requirements. That work revealed how policy frameworks shape technical choices, and how small data decisions cascade into big impacts on patient care and safety. It also solidified a conviction: the future of AI isn't defined only by what's technically possible. It depends on the ethics, values, and oversight we embed today.

Photography has been my creative constant throughout. It trained me to notice details, to slow down and look carefully before drawing conclusions. That same instinct guides how I analyze data, policies, and claims.

WHY THIS WORK MATTERS TO ME

Working in healthcare AI made clear how much communication and policy matter when technology directly affects people's lives. Data choices, regulatory frameworks, and ethical principles are never abstract. They shape outcomes for real people in tangible ways.

As an elected K-8 school board member, I see AI's impact on learning up close. Students are already turning to systems that can write homework or solve problems, sometimes at the expense of their own reasoning. That experience sparked CTRL+Think, a practical toolkit helping educators and students think critically alongside AI rather than deferring to it.

As a parent, the stakes feel even higher. When I push for accountability in AI or challenge claims like the Department of Government Efficiency's $32.9 billion savings discrepancy, I am thinking about the digital future today's children will inherit. For me, this work is not only professional, it is personal.

WHERE I’M HEADED

AI is reshaping how we work, learn, and govern. Whether this strengthens society or undermines it depends on choices we make now. My work sits at the intersection of policy analysis, governance frameworks, and public communications, because all three are necessary to actually change anything. Accountability without communication doesn't reach people. Communication without analysis doesn't hold up. And neither means much without the advocacy to push it somewhere.

A woman with glasses and long dark hair sitting on a white tufted sofa, reading notes surrounded by stacked books, with a large leafy plant behind her and a colorful skull mug on the table.

WHO I AM

I've spent nearly two decades in strategic communications, and the last five years focusing that work on AI accountability, policy, and research. What I've learned across both is simple: good policy requires good communication. Good data isn't enough. People need to understand what it means. Technical insights aren't enough. Policymakers need them translated into action. Ethical principles aren't enough. The public needs to see why they matter. In every case, communication is what turns insight into impact.

That's why I write. Through The Caffeinated Chronicle, I translate complex issues, from AI bias to government accountability, into accessible narratives so citizens, not just experts, can engage with the systems shaping their lives.