I am a Raleigh, North Carolina native, born and raised. After eighteen years I ventured north - making a home in Virginia, Washington, D.C., New Zealand, and New York City. I returned to Raleigh in 2012 and found it better than ever. 

My Mission

I received my Bachelor of Arts in Government and International Politics at George Mason University in Northern Virginia. I had several amazing opportunities during that time to intern with non-profits in Washington, D.C., study abroad in New Zealand, and liaison with government officials. After working as Deputy Clerk with the Fairfax County Courthouse, I applied and attended New York Law School in Manhattan. During my studies there, I was afforded the opportunity to study Intellectual Property Law with Beth Noveck, the former United States deputy chief technology officer for open government, and current Commissioner for the Global Commission on Internet Governance. This course highlighted the urgency of increased technological knowledge and development in the political and legal spheres. Although I graduated from law school with the idea that I would practice criminal law, I have always been fascinated by intellectual property and the connection between law, politics, and technology. 

After graduation, I joined the October 2011 class of Assistant District Attorneys in Bronx County, New York. It was both amazing and terrifying and I looked forward to going to work everyday. I oversaw hundreds of cases involving misdemeanors and stood in arraignments overseeing all crimes. I interviewed witnesses and wrote charging documents. Along with my colleagues, we worked to bridge the relationship between the citizens of the Bronx and it's legal system. We received our NY State Bar Exams scores a few months into our tenure, and I discovered that I had missed by seven points (out of 665). After deliberation, and difficult discussions with my colleagues and superiors, I made the choice to move back home.   

I returned to Raleigh in 2012, and was amazed by the transformation of the community and culture. I think it is fair to accredit much of that positive change to North Carolina's budding technology industry. I was soon hired as sole paralegal to a newly formed criminal boutique firm in downtown Raleigh. This position taught me many aspects of licensing, accreditation, SEO optimization, and network recognition. Among my duties, I managed and organized all accounts, calendars, and meetings using several office management tools. Although I continued to enjoy being part of the legal system, I felt I needed to diversify my skills and began working with a fundraising organization for nonprofits. I was quickly promoted to Team Captain during my first campaign. This involved several managerial and administrative duties, including employee management, payroll, and scheduling.

In the same vein of diversification, I volunteered in my off time with Girl Develop It, a nonprofit organization that exists to provide affordable and judgment-free opportunities for women interested in learning web and software development. While I was helping with our booth at the All Things Open 2014 conference in Raleigh, I noticed individuals walking around in t-shirts that had a neat emblem. When they approached our table I asked them about it, and they told me the beginning of what I would learn about The Iron Yard. The next day I went to their website scouring for opportunities. 

I was hired to help a rapidly burgeoning code school in the southeast with their licensing. Like many other code schools at the time, The Iron Yard was unaware that they were considered to be a postsecondary, vocational, career, or proprietary school (depending on the jurisdiction) that required a license issued by the appropriate state agency in order to operate. When I was hired with the title of Regulatory Coordinator they pushed the only papers that had amassed in the whole company over to me and left me to it. I quickly learned of the intricate process of application for licensure in each of the states where we had a campus. I reviewed and interpreted statues and law, filed notices with the secretary of state, spoke with government officials, and created documents that not only helped our organization with the licensing process but clarified our policies and procedures for staff and students alike. Beyond initial licensing we had to keep track of compliance reporting, quarterly reports, annual renewals, and fees.  

The organization soon realized that the work I was doing was a department within itself, and I took the title of Director of Compliance & Government Relations running the Regulatory Department. Eventually I hired a direct report that was based in Greenville, and we worked together under the Operations arm of the organization. During my tenure at The Iron Yard we licensed and operated over 20 campuses in 12 states and worked with approximately 3,000 students.

After The Iron Yard closed its campuses due to a majority investment, I was contacted by another code school based in California, Coding Dojo. I found myself in a similar position, creating a Compliance Department from scratch. I worked with Coding Dojo to help them set up their infrastructure, open campuses, create content and company policy. After two years, I realized I wanted to expand my career path, and decided to leave Coding Dojo to work with my younger brother in our family business.

More on 2020 soon…

Honors and achievements