I grew up in Duluth, Minnesota, on the shore of the biggest lake in the land of 10,000. I was always happily surrounded by music – whether polkas or symphonies – and started playing violin and piano when I was very young.
I did my undergraduate work at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, where I completed degrees in music, Scandinavian languages & Finnish, and French. The discovery of arts management as a discipline was a delightful one, as I had often wondered how to reconcile the creative/artistic side of my brain with the logical/rational one. I believe in the unique expression of each person’s artistic voice and want to help create arts participation that is individually meaningful.I chose the University of Oregon for AAD’s diversity of concentrations and significant technology component, as well as the way of life and opportunity for outdoor pursuit I observed in Eugene and the Pacific Northwest in general. The first year on campus presented an immense (occasionally overwhelming) number of opportunities, and I particularly enjoyed putting theory into practice in collaborative projects with the Sustainable Cities Initiative and the Oregon Folklife Network.
Outside of the current stimulating academic environment, I am inspired by sustainable local food, the magnificence of the natural world, and accordion music. I look forward to building on the work of past ELAN leadership teams in establishing this program as a national model and including all interested students in the development of and participation in valuable and relevant opportunities.