After completing my educational goals in 2003, I joined Utah State University Extension, beginning as an area agent emphasizing in bankruptcy prevention and evolving into developing programs and campaigns statewide. My major emphasis was in programs designed to assist Utahns in managing their financial resources, promoting individual and family preparedness and well-being. When the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2003 was legislated, requiring a course in financial literacy for filers, I wrote a curriculum that was used by U.S. Trustees in Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. Also, during my tenure with USU Extension, I have authored or co-authored three journal publications, 106 Extension articles, publications, newsletters, and popular press articles, and delivered over 330 presentations, developed or facilitated teams, conferences, and seminars. I secured $2.2 M in grants and program support.
In 2011, I became the director of the award-winning University of Utah’s Financial Wellness Center, a resource for students and staff in achieving lifelong financial success. I am an Accredited Financial Counselor® and educator. I saw clients one-on-one, managed an office and developed programming. I wrote the award-winning curriculum for the Individual Development Accounts (IDA) that is now being used nationally. My collaborative project, an online debt-reduction calculator: PowerPay©, is used throughout the world and endorsed by the U.S. military. This is a powerful tool in teaching consumers about debt and students who are in repayment of their educational debt. Over the last few years, I have worked with the Utah State Legislature and the State Office of Education to establish a required general financial literacy course (rated the only A+ in the nation by Champlain College) for high school students, along with its resource tool, Finance in the Classroom.
I retired from the University in December of 2023 and moved to the East Coast. I continue my private counseling practice
I am a mother to 3 consumer-savvy adults, an amateur astronomer, a sailor, and an adventurer.