As a toddler I made a nest for myself in a kitchen cabinet. My dad gave up on putting the the pans back and added an interior knob so I could let myself in and out of “my little house.” By the time I was ten I was considering a career in architecture. Long afternoons evaporated as I created houses with graph paper, Legos, and playdough. I wanted a Goldilocks house: one that was just right for me.

When I learned about the social and ecological benefits of cohousing in a high school Human Ecology class, I realized that buildings are only as effective as the communities in which they are situated.

From then, it was important to me to develop a deep understanding of the relationship between community, design, building, and sustainability.

I triangulated my education with formal investigation of social sciences, professional training in sustainable design and building, and hands-on experience. From volunteering with Habitat for Humanity and leading a build trip in post-Katrina New Orleans, to helping build a cob meditation hut and two straw bale homes, my foundation grew strong. I have now assisted with the design, consultation, and construction of dozens of homes, including many tiny houses on wheels.

In college, my thesis work focused on an exploration of cohousing, and I presented my research at the National Cohousing Conference.

My first year of living little I was studying land use through a Masters of Urban and Regional Planning at Portland State University and living in a tiny house on wheels called Bayside Bungalow that I was renting from my friend Brittany. I also completed PSU’s Urban Design Certificate because I loved my site planning class so much.

One of my tiny house heroes, Dee Williams, connected me with other designers, dwellers, and builders. Through my internship with Eli Spevak's sustainable development company, Orange Splot, I coordinated the Pedalpalooza Accessory Dwellings and Tiny House Bike Tours, wrote for AccessoryDwellings.org, and worked with the Build Small Coalition to plan the Build Small, Live Large Summit.

The practicum project for my Certificate in Sustainable Building & Design at Yestermorrow was building a tiny house on wheels, which has been dubbed Tandem. This tiny house was located at Caravan - The Tiny House Hotel in Portland, OR and rented out by the night so visitors could try on tiny.

After grad school I worked as the Project Engineer & Sustainability Coordinator for a green building project and created a set of ADU Case Studies through a contract with the Oregon DEQ.

I also designed and built The Lucky Penny, my own 100 square foot vardo and helped kickstart a tiny cohousing community called Simply Home Community. While living there, I hit it off with the guy in the tiny house next door and we designed and built a new tiny house for the two of us, which we dubbed T42. We created a new community called Going Places which included both tiny houses in addition to The Commons. He and I parted ways but have remained friends. Both tiny house communities continue on with a new cast of characters.

I spent the bulk of the pandemic living in Brattleboro, VT in an ADU while engaging with the sustainable design-build community and serving on the Brattleboro Planning Commission.

In recent years I have worked as the Operations Manager at Green Hammer, as the online curriculum coordinator for Yestermorrow Design Build School, as Design Lead & Operations Manager for Graphite Studio. I’ve also written more ADU Case Studies in collaboration with AARP. I’ve presented at events, conferences, summits, expos, and workshops.

Through all of these adventures, I have met inspiring people and had ample opportunities to share my experiences through teaching, consulting, speaking, designing, project managing, and building.

I’m currently scheming the Round the World Trip I started imagining when I was 16 years old.

I can’t wait to see where the journey will take me next…