I am a County Veterans Service Officer and the Executive Director of the Hancock County Veterans Service Office. Since I assumed this position in 2011, we have served more than eight times the number of veterans annually, and the amount of VA benefits received by county veterans and family members has increased by more than $16.8 million. Additionally, six innovative veteran resiliency programs were created to provide recovery tools and better quality of life.My goal is to use lived experience with mental illness combined with research, community partners and education to raise awareness and improve lives. I believe in the power of recovery when a community supports people by equipping and empowering them with the tools and hope they need to thrive. Identifying barriers to seeking treatment and then building bridges with collaborative partnerships has been my key to success. My desire is to add value to people by meeting them where they are, creating genuine connections with them, and then resourcing them to live their best life.I have been married to my husband, Jimmy, a ten-year Air Force veteran since 1992. We have two children, one granddaughter and four bonus grandchildren. I am an active member at New Life Assembly of God in Findlay.I served in the Air Force from 1991 to 98 and was a part of the 6960th Security Police Squadron at the Electronic Security Command in Texas and Saudi Arabia during Desert Storm. After experiencing military trauma, I retrained into public affairs, and moved to Scott AFB, Illinois where I was the sports editor for the base newspaper, helped coordinate the annual airshow and provided tours of the base. While with the Air Mobility Command, I deployed to the Joint Information Bureau in support of efforts in Bosnia for Operation Joint Endeavor. My final assignment was with the 89th Airlift Wing, the home of Air Force One, where I was the editor of the base newspaper.In 2023, I completed a second term as the President of the National Association of County Veteran Service Officers. I served a three-year term on the Advisory Committee on Veterans' Employment, Training, and Employer Outreach for the U.S. Department of Labor. I served as President for the Ohio State Assoc. of County Veterans Service Officers.I followed my dreams to start a business while working alongside my husband to develop his business. I completed the Public Leadership Certificate at The Ohio State University in the second veterans cohort. I earned an Associate of Arts Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies from Ohio Christian University in 2020.