I draft, revise, and negotiate different types of contracts for the Hormel Foods family of companies. Typical contracts include sales to customers, private label agreements, ingredient purchases and packaging supplies, sales contracts for copackers, custom manufacturing agreements (both as buyer and seller), livestock procurement contracts (hogs and turkeys), software vendor agreements, solar and wind energy contracts, nitrogen and CO2 supply contracts, brokerage agreements, product guarantees and indemnifications, and purchase order terms and conditions. I lead our contracts team, which is comprised of 3 attorneys, 3 paralegals, and 2 admins. Our team handles approximately 3,000 contract reviews per year, with contracts valued in the millions of dollars. I also teach a "Contracts 101" course for our business units, and provide negotiation strategies for my internal clients.I have prior experience at Hormel Foods with employment law, workers' compensation, and product liability.

Joined Hormel Foods with over 11 years prior experience as a paralegal. My first 6 months were as an admin in the foodservice division, prior to transferring to the legal department as a paralegal. I began law school in June 2000, and continued to work as a paralegal in Austin MN while commuting to night classes at William Mitchell College of Law in St Paul MN.

Appointed by the Mower County Board of Commissioners in January 2012 to serve on the CRWD Board. The CRWD was formed in 2007 to reduce stream flows and protect and improve water quality in the Cedar River Watershed in Mower, Dodge, Freeborn and Steele counties, all within the State of Minnesota. Our watershed district covers 45 miles of the rivers course. The Cedar River Watershed District has a 434.7-square-mile drainage basin of mostly fertile farmland. http://www.cedarriverwd.org/

Chair of Policy Committee. This group was formed under Minnesota Statutes §103B.801 with the goal of aligning local water planning on major watershed boundaries with state strategies towards prioritized, targeted, and measurable implementation plans – the next logical step in the evolution of water planning in Minnesota. https://www.cedarriverwd.org/1w1p/

Appointed by Governor Dayton in January 2013 to serve on the LSOHC. The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council was established by the legislature with the responsibility of providing annual funding recommendations to the legislature from the Outdoor Heritage Fund. The Outdoor Heritage Fund, one of four funds created by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment, receives one-third of the money raised by the tax increase. The council ensures recommendations that are consistent with the Constitution and state law and that take into consideration the outcomes of, but not limited to, the Minnesota Conservation and Preservation Plan, that directly relate to the restoration, protection, and enhancement of wetlands, prairies, forests, and habitat for fish, game, and wildlife, and that prevent forest fragmentation, encourage forest consolidation, and expand restored native prairie.http://www.lsohc.leg.mn/