Volunteer & Advocacy
A Bit About My Career
I was a licensed registered nurse from 1983 to 2021, and a nurse manager for eight of those years. Since retiring as a working RN, I became a community volunteer. I felt it was important to continue being connected to the health and wellbeing of others through volunteer work.
I am a board member at the Allina Health Foundation and a lifetime ambassador and speaker for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. I continue to be committed to sexual assault prevention and survivor advocacy, supporting organizations that are dedicated to advancing these missions.
In the past, I have had the privilege of volunteering for the Sexual Violence Center and RAINN. I have also been a board member for CaringBridge and Abbott Northwestern Hospital, and was on Allina’s Mental Health & Addiction Committee. I founded St. Jude’s Red Carpet for Hope Gala, a annual fundraising event that continued between 2013 and 2019.
Around the Globe
For three years, I have volunteered alongside my husband in his role as a board member for Vestergaard. Lifestraw and Saficycle are subsidiaries, and for Saficycle we are initial and ongoing investors.
Once-in-a-Lifetime Roles
I had the meaningful experience of appearing in the film Brave Miss World (2013). This Primetime Emmy Award-nominated documentary is about Miss Israel Linor Abargil who spoke out publicly before the #MeToo movement arrived. The documentary illuminates issues of sexual assault through many survivors’ stories. I also supported the film as a public speaker and advocated in their public outreach program which continues to offer a platform for people to share personal experiences and an expansive list of support resources.
On a fun note, that same year, I was given a role in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013). That’s a story unto itself. May you live long and prosper!
“Of those to whom much is given, much is required.”
—John F. Kennedy