| Like many people in Colorado, Brianna moved here from another state. But nearly 13 years later, she has never regretted her decision to relocate to such a great state and beautiful city, Arvada. Her career as a geologist drove her to Colorado, but has found so many opportunities here. Since being in Colorado, she worked as a mining consultant, a substitute teacher at a Catholic Jesuit school, and as a Web Application Developer.
Brianna grew up in a small town in the Hudson Valley of New York. She had hard working parents who both worked to provide for her and her brother. They taught her the value of money, how to save, and how to treat other people. She grew up very close to her grandparents and learned the value of wise elders and their experiences. She started working at age 14 to pay for the things she wanted and always had a job (or three) from Middle School through College. She was very fortunate and thankful for her parents to pay for her way through college at the local state university. This was something that she did not take for granted.
She attended the State University of New York at New Paltz where she earned her BA in Physics and BS in Geology. In High School, she learned the value of service when she became a very active member of the Milton Engine Company No. 1 as a Volunteer Firefighter. She took every training course around the county trying to learn every aspect of firefighting and was voted Junior Firefighter of the year for outstanding effort. After 7 years of volunteer service, she resigned from the department when she went to Stony Brook University to earn her MS in Geochemistry. After attending Western Michigan University Hydrogeology summer program, she quickly got a job doing Environmental Consulting. After learning the intricacies of the environmental industry, she decided that it was time to move on and relocated to Colorado. She went on to complete a second MS degree in Information Communication Technology at University of Denver in 2018 during her first campaign.
Brianna enjoys nature and the mountains through trail running and photography. She spends time with her friends running the trails of the Front Range and sharing the vistas through photos and stories. She has watched her friends start families and is excited to take a more active role in enriching their children's lives by taking them on outings to parks and museums. She is committed to ensuring that they receive a well-rounded experience and education.
She volunteered at the Denver Botanic Gardens between consulting jobs. She became a member of NecroSearch International, a 501c3 organization charged with using their collective scientific knowledge and experience to aid law enforcement solve cases and bring families closure and peace, in 2016. She was also involved in her local Home Owner Association for 10 years serving as board President for 8 years.
Brianna was a political outsider but started taking a more serious interest in national politics in 2012. Her interest in local politics started in 2016 where she began talking to her state leaders on issues that were important to her. She was elected as a Delegate at the County Assembly in the 2016 for Candidate Bernie Sanders. She joined the Jefferson County LGBTQ+ Caucus in February 2017 and was elected as Secretary/Treasurer in August. She was more recently appointed as Captain at Large for the Jefferson County Democratic Party in October 2017. She believes that many people in Colorado don't pay enough attention to what is going on in their neighborhoods. Part of that reason is that they don't know who represents them or that their voice even matters. She found there has been a general dissatisfaction with government. She believes that more people are needed in government that don't just follow their agenda, but listen to their constituents and hear their concerns. Her mission is to do this for her constituents.
Brianna has always felt compelled to serve her community. She knows that serving as the State Representative for HD 27 is the best way to do this. As a society, we have been drifting apart and settling in our 'political boxes'. We tend to dismiss people too quickly, because of political affiliation, age, economic circumstance, religion, skin color, gender identity, sexual preference, etc. Brianna believes that there are many things that we can find in common with each other, and around that intersectionality we will come together and build a better sense of community. Instead of isolating ourselves, we will become better neighbors and friends. We're all in this together!
Brianna serves as Chair of the Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus, Chair of the Joint Technology Committee, and as a member of the Energy & Environment, Health & Insurance and Agriculture, Livestock and Water Committees. She also serves on the SIPA Board, the JeffCo Schools STEM Advisory Board, the NCSL Energy and Environment and Transportations committees, as well as on the Western Regional Democrat Rep of the NCSL Women's Legislative Network Executive Board, the CSG West Energy and Environment, Canada Relations, and Colorado River Forum Advisory Committees. |