About

Thanks for visiting my website! It’s not the same as visiting in person, though if we could, I know we’d have a great conversation.

The occupational hazard of being a counterterrorism and homeland security professional is the assumption my personality matches the serious, weighty, often tragic subject matter I deal with everyday.  The truth is I couldn’t do this work without a deep sense of optimism, hope, and joy no matter the circumstances.

What I do as a security professional, and now as an author, is shaped by who I am: I’m a wife to an incredibly patient, kind, and wise man who challenges me, encourages me, and lets me pick our vacation spots as long as he gets to pick the football teams we root for. I’m a mom to two amazing kids who keep me grounded with Algebra homework, baseball games, and family game nights. I’m a Jesus-follower, imperfectly attempting to practice His ways, and overwhelmed by God’s grace and His lovingkindness. Gobsmacked by the beauty of creation, I love being in nature – especially big wide-open spaces that make you feel small – like at the beach, on top of a mountain, or gazing at the Milky Way in a dark sky. We escaped DC a few years ago to move to Colorado so we could get into nature more often.  It’s good for the soul.

I’m passionate about the work I do because I’m passionate about caring for people.  I entered government initially through politics – an idealistic wanna-be policy wonk who dreamed of helping all Americans build a better life for themselves and their children.  Not long after my first move to Washington, D.C., planes crashed into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.  In the aftermath, my passion became helping keep Americans safe, and I spent the next two decades working in homeland security. You can read more about that here.

For many Americans, the last several years revealed cracks in our foundations, exposed lies we accepted without scrutiny, and caused us to reevaluate whether the lives we’re living reflect the truth or a false narrative.

What’s helped me navigate these difficult seasons has been rediscovering that my identity isn’t in what I do.  Similarly, my hope in these turbulent times isn’t in a political party or a government program.  My identity and hope are rooted and established as a beloved child of God,through Christ alone.

My new book, Kingdom of Rage, has been birthed at the intersection of my personal and professional life: How did America become a breeding ground for rage and extremism? How has the Church, the very institution meant to bring freedom and healing, perpetuated captivity and caused so much pain? How do we keep the people we love safe – not just physically, but also mentally and emotionally safe? How do we equip parents to build resilience in their children so they’re not vulnerable to the dark realities of our increasingly digital world?

These are the questions I’ve spent the last few years exploring.  I don’t have all the answers – but I’m passionate about sharing what I know, what I’m learning, and what I believe we can do to build a better future for our children. 

I hope you’ll join me on this learning journey. You might disagree with my conclusions – that’s awesome and I am curious to learn more about your perspectives. The goal for me is dialogue, learning, and figuring out how to create a kinder, healthier community. If that’s something that interests you, I hope you’ll read the book and sign up here for my newsletter. You’ll be the first to receive new articles, recommendations on what to read, podcasts to cue up, and details about where I’m speaking in a city near you.