I never in a million years thought I would be working for Safety and Risk Services in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) at the UO and here I am and loving my job.

I am currently the Biosafety Officer and Laboratory Safety Manager with EHS.  I was working in a research lab in the UO’s Institute of Molecular Biology when the head of the lab decided to retire. During the lab close-out process the director of EHS approached me about joining them as the Lab Safety Officer.  My primary job task was to conduct laboratory safety audits and since I already knew many of the research faculty, it was easy to connect with the lab staff. My world expanded from focusing on the research of only one lab to now focusing on the research and safety of all the labs at the university.

During COVID, I transitioned to the position of Biosafety Officer and Laboratory Safety Manager with EHS. During that time, I was part of the team that worked on getting research restarted after the shutdown in March of 2020 and helped to develop protocols for staff to get back into lab spaces and conduct research safely in the middle of a pandemic.  It was completely uncharted territory working during a global pandemic and it was such rewarding work. My current focus is the safety of laboratory staff, helping to make them aware of potential exposure hazards and how to protect themselves while conducting cutting-edge research. I love the day-to-day challenges this job brings. My colleagues are amazing professionals and we all work together to help folks safely conduct their work on campus.

I am a proud born-and-raised native Oregonian, graduating from South Salem High school and Willamette University majoring in Physics and Biology. I moved to New York to complete my PhD in Biology at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—bonus points if you know the town that institute is located in! After a postdoctoral position at Dartmouth Medical School, I had the chance to relocate back to Oregon when offered a position at the UO.

I am curious by nature and wonder how anyone figured out how to eat an artichoke! When not at work I spend time honing my gardening skills with the goal of eventually completing the Master Gardener program. I enjoy visiting any plant nursey in the Pacific Northwest. I make a mean molten lava cake, dabble in watercolors, and just finished a beginners’ woodshop class.  I have recently taken up birding and hardly go anywhere without my binoculars.  I am finally able to tell the difference between a pintail, ring neck, or green-winged teal duck, and I can always identify a mallard. GO DUCKS!

(April 2023)