I was brought in to lead the transition team for the newly elected Utah State Auditor, following her appointment as the first woman independently elected to statewide office in Utah. Our work focused on facilitating a smooth, thoughtful transfer of leadership after a 12-year tenure under the previous State Auditor.

As Transition Lead, I coordinated with Utah State Legislature members, internal staff, and external stakeholders to understand the current state of the office and identify opportunities for modernization. We conducted comprehensive interviews with existing personnel to surface pain points, legacy systems, and cultural dynamics that could benefit from fresh perspective. The result was a robust transition recommendation report that reflected both continuity and innovation.

This role followed a longer working relationship with the State Auditor, which began when she was a congressional candidate and I served as her Campaign Manager. After the campaign, she went on to serve as Senior Advisor and later Deputy State Auditor. I was proud to support her transition into elected office—not as a partisan strategist, but as a public policy operations partner focused on institutional improvement, workforce alignment, and transparency.

In 2022 and again in 2024, I served as a campaign consultant to a seasoned business executive and political newcomer who ran for U.S. Congress in Utah’s 1st District. My role centered on guiding the candidate through the complex landscape of Utah politics, with a focus on messaging, stakeholder strategy, and voter alignment.

The candidate first entered the 2022 Republican convention and later ran in the 2024 general election. Throughout both efforts, I supported the transition of private-sector leadership skills into a public-facing platform, reinforcing a solutions-based, issue-focused narrative. This experience further developed my ability to support values-driven campaigns while maintaining a clear commitment to nonpartisan policy innovation.

In one of Utah’s most competitive congressional races, I served as Field Director for a nationally targeted campaign that ultimately resulted in a successful bid for U.S. Congress. This was a multi-million dollar operation that required extensive coordination of on-the-ground and digital voter engagement strategies.

Upon joining, I conducted a performance analysis of our volunteer program and led a strategic overhaul—shifting from a phone-only outreach model to a data-informed, door-to-door engagement strategy, even while navigating COVID-19 safety protocols. Under my direction, we:

• Coordinated over 3,000 volunteers

• Knocked on 30,000+ doors

• Made 350,000+ phone calls

• Distributed 8,000+ campaign signs in high-impact zones

Following the election, our campaign’s ground game was publicly credited by opposing voices as a deciding factor in the outcome. While this work was executed in a political context, my focus was always on field operations, geographic targeting, and behavior-driven strategy—skills that continue to inform my current work in nonpartisan public policy.

I served as Campaign Coordinator for a competitive Utah congressional primary candidate. The campaign launched at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic required us to rethink traditional voter outreach strategies and embrace digital-first tactics completely.

One of my core contributions was designing and producing a weekly live-streamed policy series. This allowed the candidate to connect directly with voters, showcase her policy knowledge, and answer community questions in real-time. This innovative approach helped us build the largest social media following of any candidate in the state at the time, second only to a former presidential nominee.

Although the campaign concluded at the convention stage, we remained competitive in general public polling and were later described by other campaigns as a serious primary contender. This experience sharpened my ability to lead nimble, digitally native campaigns under pressure, an increasingly critical skill in modern civic engagement and issue advocacy.

During the 2018 legislative session, I served as a Legislative Intern with the Utah Attorney General’s Office, supporting the Legislative Director as part of the agency’s formal presence at the Capitol. This role placed me at the intersection of legal expertise, policymaking, and government operations, giving me a clear, first-hand understanding of how policy is shaped in real-time, often under pressure and with significant public stakes.

That year, the office's policy priorities centered on protecting children from exploitation and harm, particularly in light of evolving technologies and digital threats. I attended and helped prepare materials for key committee meetings, many of which focused on difficult and emotionally charged topics, such as child abuse, human trafficking, and online safety regulations. While often heavy, these discussions reinforced my commitment to a professional, grounded approach in spaces where policy has a real human impact.

What made this experience so influential was not just the policy content but the systemic view it gave me: how bills evolve, how legal frameworks guide legislative language, and how agency input can shape state priorities. I left that internship with a deep respect for institutional processes and a clearer understanding of the long-term policy work I wanted to pursue.

This early experience in public service confirmed that good policy requires both empathy and structure and that meaningful change happens when those two things come together with purpose.

Refugee Council USA is a national coalition of leading organizations—including Amnesty International, International Rescue Committee, and Church World Service—committed to supporting displaced and migrating individuals as they seek safety, stability, and long-term opportunity. While the organization advocates for policies that improve the treatment of refugees and migrants, it remains strictly nonpartisan, grounded in the belief that effective solutions require collaboration across political lines.

As a Coordinating Intern, I supported the organization’s internal communications, policy messaging, and daily operational workflows. I participated in cross-agency planning sessions, contributed to external engagement strategies, and helped facilitate the hiring process for a new Communications Director.

In addition, I had the opportunity to join policy briefings and meetings with members of Congress, helping to align advocacy messages with legislative priorities. This experience reinforced my commitment to compassionate, evidence-based policymaking—and highlighted how coalitions can amplify impact by creating a unified voice across diverse organizational perspectives.