I always have been and always will be a West Virginian. I am a native of the small town of Barrackville in Marion County. I attended public schools and West Virginia University for my undergrad and post-graduate degrees.Because of my love of storytelling, I pursued a career in journalism - it was my competitive spirit that drew me to broadcasting. I love having many deadlines per day and each newscast was a contest to me, being able to put my stories up against other reporters in the market. I wanted to win every day. My story had to be better than anyone else's. Every day was exciting - not knowing what story would break or from where I would be reporting live. But no matter what story I did or where I was, I knew the story I was putting on the air was the best in the market.However, it was my desire to make my home state a better place that pulled me into working for the taxpayers of West Virginia in the Secretary of State's Office. Having been a reporter for nearly ten years by the time I joined the Secretary of State's Office in 2009, public service for me meant helping reporters get the information they need to write their stories. After that, I served the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection as Communications Director.My current position is Manager of Business Development for West Virginia American Water. I also work as adjunct faculty for the University of Charleston.