Education and Experience

AJ’s made Macomb her home since August of 2013 when she moved from Minnesota to take a faculty position at WIU. She has taught 30 different courses at WIU, mainly serving the Anthropology and Forensic Chemistry programs. She earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology from the University of Washington, Seattle, and a PhD in Anthropology (Human Genetics minor) from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Prior to joining WIU, AJ worked as a forensic scientist in the DNA/Biology section of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Laboratory. She has also been employed as a compliance archaeologist, a small business owner, a land surveyor, a home health aide, postmaster of two rural post offices, and worked during high school and college in retail and food service. A life-long animal advocate, she fostered “bully breed” dogs for a Minnesota rescue and volunteered for Lost Dogs Minnesota.

Family

AJ’s children began school with Pre-K at MacArthur and currently attend the Macomb Middle and High Schools. One of her kiddos was diagnosed as an infant with NF1, a tumor disorder that requires regular MRIs to monitor a brain stem tumor, among other symptoms. AJ has also been the end-of-life caregiver for her elderly parents, who moved in with her family in 2016 when her dad’s Parkinsons disease progressed to the stage where he needed daily help. AJ’s husband, Don, is a U.S. Navy Submarine Force veteran who served in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. He also worked at WIU as a technology specialist for several years until he was diagnosed with end stage renal failure. He has recently completed his sixth year as a dialysis patient (and over 30 years as an insulin-dependent diabetic).

Community Service

AJ has also been active in the community, offering dance fitness classes at the YMCA and Free Range, volunteering as ground crew for the Macomb Balloon Rally, serving on the Lincoln PTO and as a Macomb Band and Choir booster. A founding member of Indivisible of West Central Illinois, she’s helped organize the Community Chest Network Free Resource Map, Macomb’s No Kings events, the School Shooting Victims Memorial Project, and the Macomb Pride Picnic.

AJ understands the challenges of living paycheck-to-paycheck, of facing steep medical bills and prescription copays, of juggling work and caregiving responsibilities, and looking out for our neighbors. She’s running for County Board because she knows she can be a strong and effective advocate for our county’s working people, for our children, our caregivers, our college students, our senior citizens, residents unable to work, and the animals in our community that are dear family members or are in need of someone who cares. AJ’s goal is for the County Board to carefully review the impact of every decision to prioritize our residents’ quality of life above all else.