Personal Connection

My career has taken a non-linear path across procurement, production, communications, marketing, nonprofit operations, and research. That path has given me a broad perspective, allowing me to approach challenges from multiple angles, connect people and processes, and turn ideas into action. I have spent my career helping organizations move ideas from planning to reality, and I hope to use those same skills to help get meaningful resources into the hands of children and families who need them.

Giving back to my community is an ingrained value. Founding Lounging Penguin Organization with my significant other, Jonathan Olais, has been a lifelong aspiration and a chance to turn that value into action. The organization supports healthcare centers by sourcing, organizing, and delivering goods and resources that promote comfort for children and families during care. My procurement background supports that mission through sourcing, research, price evaluation, and practical solutions.

Having benefited from community initiatives through public schooling, public libraries, and civic programs, I understand how those resources can shape everyday life. I remember watching Pokémon movies at my local theater and being captivated by the world and its characters. Coming from a working-class family, collecting Pokémon cards was a luxury rather than a necessity. The memory of my elementary school teacher giving me my first Pokémon card, a Dragonite Warner Bros. promo card, has stayed with me. It was a small act of kindness, and it meant the world.

I hope to pay that kindness forward by helping provide goods and creating moments of joy for children and families, just as others once did for me. Lounging Penguin Organization gives me a way to connect what I value with giving back.