I was raised in Needville, a rural community in southern Fort Bend County, where I attended school from K-12.  I began my musical training in the NISD Bands as a clarinetist, ultimately serving as the band's President and first three-time All-State musician, an honor that I held for many years.

I attended Texas Tech University on an academic and music scholarship after graduating third in my senior class.  The first person in my family to attend college, I graduated magna cum laude in May 2000 with a Bachelor's Degree in Music with K-12 Teacher's Certification.  In my years at Texas Tech, I was very involved in the band programs, serving in numerous leadership positions for Tau Beta Sigma National Honorary Band Sorority, Concert Master for the University Concert Band, and Band Secretary for the 400 member "Goin' Band from Raiderland."

Since graduation, I have served Texas public school students in the middle school, junior high, and high school levels in five districts.  My bands have been consistent UIL Sweepstakes winners at the Class C, CC, and CCC middle school and AA and AAA high school levels, appearing at the Texas UIL State Marching Contest, being named the Association of Texas Small School Bands' Outstanding Performance Series winner, earning eighth place in the TMEA Honor Band competition, and being named a "Commended Winner" in the National Wind Band Honors Project and the National Orchestra Honors Project with the full orchestra.

I earned my Masters in Music in Wind Band Conducting from the American Band College of Sam Houston State University in August 2015.

Professionally, I served as Region President and on the State Board for the Texas Music Educators' Association from 2004 until 2016 and currently serve as the TMEA Area Coordinator for the Mentoring Network. I am also a member of Texas Music Adjudicators' Association.  This will be my nineteenth year in the classroom and my seventh as Director of Bands at Sartartia!

Personally, I have been married almost nineteen years to my wonderful husband and best friend, Thomas, an FBISD alumni who now serves as the Campus Assessment Coordinator at Kempner High School.  We are raising our two beautiful boys in my hometown, where our oldest son is an oboist and percussionist in the high school band, and our youngest son is a tuba player!