BA College of Santa Fe
MA Holy Names College

I grew up in Montana and Colorado and moved to the Chequamegon Bay area in 1998 with my husband, Olaf who is a Northland alum who always wanted to move back. I can;t imagine calling anywhere else home.

I love and strongly support the mission of Northland and its liberal arts focus on the environment. I'm able to teach English courses while exploring the community and enchanting natural world in which the college is located. I am able to collaborate with colleagues in other areas of study to provide students with the ability to read critically and write passionately about what they are studying.

I teach Food for Thought and Living With Nature. Each of these courses is designed to encourage students to take an interest in the ways in which we live in the world, as a society and as individuals--either through the choices of what and how we choose to eat, or how we interact and adapt to the natural world. These courses deal with what we are each doing everyday--eating and living--and I hope to encourage students to reflect upon the myriad of choices and how those affect our selves, our communities, and the planet.

Student experience is the keystone upon which I build my courses because without direct contact and action, words often fail to fully express their meaning. Each of my courses have field trip and excursion components where students have the opportunity to relate what they are studying in class to what they see happening in this area. We visit local farms, orchards, fisheries, and our local dairy in my Food for Thought class and we spend time in local forests hiking, snowshoeing, cross country skiing, canoeing and other outdoor pursuits in my Living with Nature class.

I have a large garden and I'm delighted to cook and can and freeze what we grow in order to eat as locally as possible. I enjoy kayaking, reading, hiking, snowshoeing, spending time with my cats and friends, and teaching. The Chequamegon Bay area, and Northland College are an amazing community of fascinating people and unlimited natural beauty--a perfect place for me to live and do the things I love.