Ideas That Became Action
Years of community service, civic involvement and nonprofit leadership. From Lions and Lions Clubs International Foundation to Good Neighbor Week and neighborhood initiatives - bringing people together around ideas that make communities stronger.
I Brought An Idea Home.
I first encountered Good Neighbor Week at a Neighborhoods USA conference and immediately wondered what it could look like in Citrus Heights.
So I brought the idea home.
Working with the Residents' Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights (REACH) and community partners, we adapted it for our city, invited residents to participate, and turned a simple idea about neighboring into something people could actually be part of.
More than 760 acts of neighboring were registered. Citrus Heights went on to officially proclaim Good Neighbor Week in both 2023 and 2024.
Sometimes the best ideas aren't the ones you invent. They are the ones you recognize, adapt, and help people believe in.
City of Citrus Heights: State of the City 2023
City of Citrus Heights: State of the City 2024
We Turned Hardships into Opportunities.
When COVID shut restaurants down, food insecurity became an immediate concern in our community.
But as restaurateurs, we were seeing another problem firsthand: food that had been destined for restaurants suddenly had nowhere to go. Restaurants were closed. Product wasn't moving. Meanwhile, families needed groceries. We knew food. So, we started there.
We reached into the relationships and resources we already had and began connecting the pieces. Our suppliers helped us access fresh food at free or dramatically reduced prices. The Sacramento Antelope Lions Club provided funding and volunteers. Community organizations joined the effort. The Fish Radio helped spread the word and showed up week after week.
Taste of Tuscany became the staging ground.
The first grocery distribution happened in March 2020. What started as an immediate response grew into a 12-week program that served 4,855 people across 33 zip codes and distributed more than 22,000 pounds of food.
When the need continued, we did it again.
A second round began in 2021, once again bringing together volunteers, community partners and fresh food through Taste of Tuscany. Across our COVID food-relief efforts, more than 10,000 people were fed. The work was later recognized with a Bar & Restaurant Expo Community Leadership Award, while the Sacramento Antelope Lions Club's project received a Lions Clubs International Kindness Matters Service Award.
None of it happened under normal circumstances. We were coordinating food, funding, volunteers, publicity, packing, and distribution at a time when gathering itself had become complicated and the rules and risks were still being figured out. The need was food. The real work was connecting people, resources, and opportunities and then figuring out how to make all of it move when almost everything else had stopped.
Industry Excellence Award Winners Announced at #BRE2022 | Bar & Restaurant
Kindness Matters - Lion Magazine
Community Service Project | Rotary Club of Foothill Highlands
Additional Leadership & Service
City of Citrus Heights — Planning Commissioner & Commission Chair | 2023–2025
Served on the City's Planning Commission, including as Chair, participating in public hearings and land-use decisions.
Citrus Heights Arts — Board Chair | 2023–Present
Board governance and strategic support for public art, creative placemaking and community arts initiatives.
Lions Clubs International Foundation — District 4-C5 LCIF Coordinator | 2022–Present
District-level foundation education, fundraising and engagement across regional Lions clubs.
Residents' Empowerment Association of Citrus Heights — President | 2022–2024
Served as a community and government liaison. Worked across multiple organizations for event development and coordination. Led community meetings and organized volunteers.
Lions Clubs International — Leadership & Service | 2015–Present
Held multiple club and district leadership roles, including Club President, Vice President, Director, Zone Chair and District Social Media Chair.
Selected Recognition
LCIF Presidential Award for Goal Achievement | 2023–2024 & 2024–2025
Recognized for achievement in support of Lions Clubs International Foundation goals.
Dos Rios Region Lion of the Year | 2023-2024
Recognized for leadership and service within the Dos Rios Region.
International President’s Leadership Award — Lions Clubs International | 2016–2017
Presented by International President Bob Corlew in recognition of distinguished leadership.
Gordon Daniels Founders Award | 2017–2018
Lions Education Foundation
Recognition for outstanding community service, loyalty and devotion to Lionism.
Progressive Melvin Jones Fellow — Lions Clubs International Foundation
Recognition reflecting continued commitment to LCIF and its humanitarian work.