Why I Am Running

Palm Desert, the city I love, is worth protecting.

It’s a city I chose because it is safe, beautiful, and welcoming—a place where families, retirees, and businesses can thrive. Keeping it that way requires thoughtful leadership, careful planning, and a willingness to put residents ahead of politics. That’s why I’m running for Palm Desert City Council in District 4.

By profession, I’m a geoscientist with a degree in Public Administration, and I currently lead teams evaluating the sustainability of major projects. My work includes auditing greenhouse gas reporting, assessing environmental performance, and ensuring organizations are accountable for the commitments they make. It’s work that requires careful analysis, sound judgment, and a commitment to facts—qualities I will bring to the Palm Desert City Council.

Those same skills are exactly what Palm Desert needs as we face increasingly extreme heat, threats to our air and water, the challenges of sustainable development, and the need to strengthen our local economy.

Long before my career in environmental auditing, I spent nearly a decade teaching science to young people, helping students develop curiosity, confidence, and critical thinking skills. Earlier in my career, I worked with homeless teens and adults with disabilities. Those experiences taught me an important lesson: good public policy begins by listening to people and ensuring that everyone is treated with dignity and respect.

Those experiences continue to shape how I approach public service.

I believe every resident deserves to feel safe, respected, and prepared when emergencies happen. I support expanding 24-hour cooling centers during extreme heat, improving transportation for residents who cannot reach them, strengthening backup power for critical facilities, and investing in infrastructure that keeps Palm Desert resilient during emergencies.

I also believe safeguarding our desert means protecting more than our landscape. Clean air, reliable water, responsible growth, and careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars are all part of preserving the quality of life that makes Palm Desert special. Every budget decision should be measured by one simple question: Does this make life better and safer for the people who live here?

At the same time, I understand that protecting our community requires a strong economy. Supporting local businesses, planning responsibly for growth, and making smart investments today will help ensure Palm Desert remains financially strong for generations to come.

As a resident on Tennessee Avenue, I’m not running to make politics a career. I’m running because I believe Palm Desert deserves leaders who solve problems, prepare for the future, and remain accessible and accountable to the people they serve.

Whether I’m leading environmental review teams, teaching science, or working with community members, I’ve built my career around one principle: leave things better than you found them.

That’s the same commitment I’ll bring to the Palm Desert City Council.