My love for water began as early as I can remember at the local lake club, spending all my summer days swimming, fishing and messing about in boats. I came to understand how murky the water in that little man-made lake was when I went to summer camp on pristine Sebago Lake in Maine. There I learned to canoe as a teenager and then returned as a college student to direct the canoeing program there for a couple of summers. I was introduced to whitewater in high school where we were lucky enough to have a slalom team and Tariffville Gorge on the Farmington River only 10 minutes away. We were involved in organizing the race there and one year the national team trials, so I was exposed to and inspired by the best slalom paddlers at the time. After a hiatus of some years on the west coast, I moved back to New England and, not too long after, discovered Zoar Outdoor and the Deerfield River in Massachusetts. I started out as a raft guide 10 years ago and slowly worked my way into less guiding and more kayaking, finally creating the job as Office Manager, which I held for several years. I now enjoy chasing my toddler aged twins around the Berkshires.

I discovered American Whitewater shortly after I started kayaking because of the Deerfield Riverfest, so I understand the value of the local festivals as outreach. I have been involved in running the Deerfield Festival since 1998, organizing the amateur rodeo for a few years and then this year running the Silent Auction. I have watched with interest AW's struggle over the last few years with more and less rodeo involvement and fluctuating membership numbers. I am excited at the prospect of being a part of the decision- making process about the future of AW and would be honored to sit on the Board.