I had read that my predecessor, Natalie Johnson, visited Mount Baldy shortly after she interviewed for the Executive Director role back in 2016. I decided to continue the tradition and packed up my husband and two boys, ages 3 and 7, and headed to the famous dune. While probably not as peaceful of an experience as Natalie had since I had two kids in tow, it was still a very validating moment. We played for hours on the beach and took in the beauty of the area as the sun set on the magnificent dune.

I feel very lucky to step into this role at such an exciting time for the organization and the Northwest Indiana area. I was fortunate to have spent my first week on the job working alongside and learning from Natalie. She has grown the organization in very important and foundational ways and her talents will be missed. I am grateful for the strong foundation she laid that I now have the privilege to build upon. Additionally, there are some big changes happening in the community that Save the Dunes is actively playing a role in. Several important decisions and legislative actions have happened even in my first few weeks. As I said, this is an exciting time! I am humbled to be selected to lead Save the Dunes in this next chapter, and excited to show people the many ways they can get involved in this incredible cause.