How long have you been geocaching?

Since 2006 (20 years!)

How many finds and hides do you have?

How many finds and hides do you have? 4344 real caches (not including adventure labs)

Which WGA events have you attended or volunteered for in the past?

Attended West Bend, Fall Campout

What skills do you possess that would benefit the WGA?

Education, public speaking, event planning, have knowledge and experience in many areas including:

Serving on boards

• Board member at large on Washburn County Lakes and Rivers Board (2025-present)
• Secretary for the Wisconsin Canoe Heritage Museum (2015-2024) 
• Secretary for the Wisconsin Nordic Ski League (2016-2019); also served on the Code of Conduct and Safe Sport Committee creating league policy
• Secretary, Superior Lobe Chapter, Ice Age Trail Alliance (2022-2023)
• Vice President of the Wisconsin Mycological Society (2023) and Bylaws Committee Chair (2023-2024).  
• Assisting the Washburn County 4-H Leaders Association Board on their bylaws as well as other organizational management (2012-2022).
• President, UWSP Nordic Ski Club (2007-2008)

I own a business, Tamarack Wetland Services, LLC, and understand and practice the importance of fiscal responsibility and making connections with people in the community.

Listening to young people is an important part of planning for the future. I’ve worked with youth in leadership positions—Washburn County Youth on the County Board, Superior Days and Heart of the North Legislative Day—to bring youth voice into spaces where it often isn’t heard. At UW Extension/4-H I brought that youth perspective to the table, through youth-adult partnerships; I have continued to do this through volunteer efforts. It is important to listen to the young people because they are not only the future, they are leaders now.  

My educational background in Environmental Education and Adventure Education, plus years of getting youth and adults outside and geocaching—including at camps, nature centers, and local hikes.  

The WGA’s mission is to promote and protect geocaching in Wisconsin.

Which part of that mission (Education, Landowner Relations, Events, or Community) are you most passionate about, and why?

Education – it’s my background and also what I have done both professionally and with anyone that wants to learn! 

If elected, what is one specific goal or project you would like to see the WGA accomplish during your term?

Creating a replicable Geocaching 101 event that cachers around the state could use with local partners (libraries, schools, hiking orgs, etc). 

Board members often must work through disagreements. Describe your approach to working with a team where there are differing opinions.

I like to work with a team by consensus, and have a clear understanding of expectations and how to attempt to resolve conflict. I think it’s important to talk about how decisions are made as well as how conflict is addressed ahead of time so that people are in agreement before things get contentious. Listening to everyone’s piece is important and creates an environment where everyone hopefully feels heard. 

How do you think the WGA can better reach out to new geocachers or those living in underrepresented parts of the state?

I think that having family events and partnering with libraries and other local organizations (like the Ice Age Trail chapters) would be helpful. I think that I am in an underrepresented part of the state (NW WI) – we have lots of old caches and not too many new ones, many old teams have left the area or stopped caching. Having caches that are well-maintained is helpful to get people into the game as well as events where they can learn how to use the app and meet others that they could cache with. 

Are you comfortable asking for help and delegating tasks to other volunteers, or do you prefer to handle projects solo?

I can handle projects solo and also am comfortable asking for help and delegating. 

What’s your favorite style or type of geocache to find and why does it appeal to you?

Earthcaches! I love to learn about the land around (as well as other things). Earthcaches have helped me understand where I live and visit in a way that really has added to my life!

Do you have a passion for hiding geocaches? What types of geocaches do you like to hide and why?

I enjoy hiding caches – again, my favorite is earthcaches. I like to learn and then explain (usually more simply than I found it elsewhere) how the world around us was formed.