Background

I am originally from Omaha, Nebraska, and moved with my family to Duluth, Georgia when I was 8. I credit my mother with teaching me the proper way to balance a checkbook (remember those?) when I was 10 years old; that's where I learned the only proper way to balance it is to the penny. Both of my parents sparked my love of clothing and costume at an early age – mom by making a Halloween costume each year and dad playing Broadway musical albums on the stereo; lavish period movies and an amazing “dress-up box” also played a huge part.  For college, I attended Agnes Scott in Decatur, before transferring to Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. After graduation I spent a year in Boston as a Dresser (Costumer in film language) for a few local theatres, and then made my way to Seattle.

I spent most of my time in the Emerald City as a Stitcher and First Hand, as well as backstage dressing work for Theatre, Opera, and Dance companies.  I joined Theatrical Wardrobe Union TWU 887 in 1999.  I was employed as the Dispatcher from 1999-2007 and Office Manager from 2007-2015; served as a member of the finance committee (budget around $125k) and contract negotiation teams for our first contracts at Seattle Repertory and Village Theatres; acted as Interim Vice President in 2012.  Serving TWU 887 in these ways gave me experience I will bring to the office of Trustee for Local 479.

As Office Manager I organized and kept all union records, including minutes, member accounts, payroll, contracts and communications.

1.      I managed the financial records in QuickBooks and produced monthly reports for the Financial secretary and Executive board. Fun fact - when I started the job I found a 3-cent discrepancy in the checking account balance that the previous financial secretary didn't reconcile - I went back through 3 years of bank statements and found it because every penny counts!)

2.     Kept all membership data – demographics, status, financials – in our database and handled all correspondence with the International regarding Members.

3.     My responsibilities there, albeit for a much smaller number of Members, essentially matched those of Local 479’s Director of Membership, Comptroller, and Secretary-Treasurer, with TWU 887’s Business Agent and Financial and Recording Secretaries signing off as needed.

As a Member of Local 887 I attended the 2001 Quadrennial as well as the 2012 & 2014 Mid-Summer GEBs; and served on the host Locals team in Seattle for the 2014 GEB (local members staff the host tables at the convention, help the IA committees organize events such as the Women’s Committee dinner, put together swag baskets for the IA officials, among other duties).  I also served as the TWU 887 delegate to the King County, Washington Labor Delegate.

While in Seattle I also worked as a Dispatcher for Stage Local 15’s Hiring Hall.  Dispatchers filled calls for all represented venues in Seattle and surrounding areas, including theatres, convention work, and concerts.  Dispatch work duties required keeping records of all phone calls made (yes, we did it the old-fashioned way) and work accepted; good communication skills; working under tight (and tense!) deadlines; and, above all, enormous attention to detail & organization.

Other Financial Experience: Private Sector and Beyond

While in Seattle, I served as a Board Member and President of my 20-unit Co-op building for 6 years. Duties for the Co-op included:

1.      An extensive re-haul of the Co-op records

2.     Drafting and overseeing annual budgets of around $200k/year

3.     Writing and amending the Co-op Governing documents – Bylaws, Proprietary Lease and House Rules

4.     Obtaining a $320k loan for capital improvement projects

5.     Managing said capital improvements including: major masonry repair, attic insulation, outside security lighting and window bars, as well as a $300k whole-building window replacement

6.     Fun fact: The building hot water heater broke during the annual meeting when I was elected; my very first duty as president was signing a $32,000 check to replace it.

In the last several years, I have worked for a local CPA doing QuickBooks data entry for restaurants and other small businesses.

I currently hold the position of Secretary on the board of Stitch Masters Sewing School, a non-profit based in St. Paul, Minnesota.  Stich Masters teaches sewing to teens and adults with the goal of developing technical, creative and entrepreneurial skills and cultivating arts-based STEM education.

479 and Film Industry Experience

In 2018, I moved back to the Atlanta area and transferred my card to Local 479.  I work as a Stitcher, Tailor, and Table Person, making and altering the clothes you see on screen.  I feel that the skills I use in my craft echo aspects of my diligence with recordkeeping and finances.  For example, a Table Person assists the Cutter/Fitter/Pattern Maker with details which keep the shop on schedule, such as keeping the fitting schedule, organizing the work, and liaising with the background fitters.

For a look at my film/tv work, please visit:

Because I believe that active Membership participation is essential to our Local, I serve as the Negotiations Committee Costume Craft C0-Chair; a member of the Scholarship committee; and a member of the Constitution Committee, holding the position of Secretary Treasurer in 2023.  Besides the satisfaction of helping the Local in this way, I enjoy being able to work with members in all departments, gaining knowledge of other crafts and perspectives, and above all providing information to and encouraging the involvement of my fellow costumers.