“I grew up in the Village of Belmont. After graduating high school in 1998, I decided to go on to Belmont College because I knew the reputation of their Information Technology (IT) program. Belmont was also the only school offering C++, programming and networking. I was really into computers most of my childhood, and I saw IT as a field where I could learn and grow.
Belmont’s tight-knit campus and small class sizes gave me a great opportunity to learn, grow, and experiment. My favorite thing about my time there was the wonderful instructors, who always took the time to answer my questions and went above and beyond to help me succeed. They even arranged an internship that taught me a great deal and helped prepare me for my career.
After I graduated and completed my internship, I took a part-time IT job at the St. Clairsville Public Library and worked my way up to IT manager, spending 15 years helping the library grow its technology capabilities to keep up with the needs of the community.
This past December, I started a new chapter of my career as a library technology specialist at the State Library of Ohio. I’m now working with public libraries across the state. My goal is to continue serving the community to the best of my ability.
A month after starting my new job, I began my second term as mayor of Belmont. I truly value helping people and my community. As I always say, ‘when you win, we all win. To be successful we all must win together.’”