My family’s basic values of honesty, sincerity, and perseverance were learned in childhood and still shape my leadership style as Mayor today. Both parents impressed upon me a work ethic of giving my best effort to my employer and focusing on the customer.  They also were involved in community and church, good neighbors, as well as involved parents.
My lifelong passion for environmental protection was formed in my early years living off the land, and my joy of gardening as a child is reflected in my organization of community gardens in several subsequent home towns as well as my support for gardens on city-owned property in Spokane.
During studies in Washington, D.C., I pursued in-depth knowledge about U.S. foreign policy in Central America, and interned for the Physicians’ Coalition for Nuclear Arms Control. I studied abroad in India and Belize, gaining experience that contributed to my degree with academic honors in Medical Anthropology through the Dean Rusk special studies program.
My decision to pursue a career in government came through the process of researching my honors thesis on the public health impacts of the nuclear weapons production complex.  I realized that I had to “be the change I wanted to see,” and that, within government, I could affect changes in policy in response to citizen concerns.
I then attended the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental studies. My colleagues were national and international leaders in their subjects, and my horizons were expanded beyond all expectations
In 1992 an opportunity arose, to move to Washington State and work with the Spokane Tribe of Indians.  My father’s family heritage was Native American, and the Pacific Northwest was appealing.  I immediately fell in love with the natural beauty and the friendly people in the Spokane region. Since many of the Tribe’s issues were legal in nature, and desiring to be better equipped to serve, I attended law school part-time while continuing my full-time job, and in 1999 I achieved my law degree with academic honors at Gonzaga. 
My direct engagement with community gardens, recycling programs, and mentoring children on the reservation phased out, while my duties as an appointed member of the Spokane City Council phased in.  Local government was a good fit for me to utilize the skill sets and interests accumulated over the years, and when encouraged by friends and colleagues to run for Mayor, I embraced a new challenge of running a campaign to earn my job with support of the voters.
Lessons learned have made me strong, and skills and values accumulated on the farm, at the dinner table, and in relationship with many people whose paths have crossed mine over the years have prepared me well to be Spokane’s strong mayor.