My Story

While completing my undergraduate degree in international business and finance, I became interested in microcredit lending in agriculture. I saw the good that could be accomplished by giving individuals access to capital.

After college, I traveled the world working in regenerative agriculture and biodynamic viticulture. I fell in love with a model of agricultural production which valued nutritious food, mitigation of climate change, and the promotion of long-term landscape conservation. 

As I worked at different farms, I soon observed something putting their economic viability at risk. The farmers’ perspective on money. The farm owners often felt that profitable business practices were in conflict with the ideals of this specific agricultural production model. I came to see that access to capital wasn’t the only thing ensuring their success, which made me curious about the behavioral and truly personal side of finance. 

I came to believe that when we live a life aligned with our values, our actions can result in real social and environmental advances. Yet, I also saw that a lack of knowledge about money, and the behaviors driving key decisions, can be a major obstacle to someone living their life’s purpose. 

This ultimately planted something inside me: to use my personal finance knowledge to help people achieve their goals. Nutrition, mitigation, conservation – these were the unlikely seeds that motivated me to earn my Masters in Financial Planning and in turn develop deep relationships with the clients I now serve at Abacus.

How I’m expanding what’s possible with money

I am committed to helping the community of farmers who use agriculture as a tool to fight climate change. Empowering these individuals and organizations to make financial decisions that promote and sustain their work is really meaningful to me. I am also passionate about helping Abacus clients discover charitable giving opportunities that truly inspire them as philanthropists.

Outside of work, my passions include

International travel. I enjoy discovering new places and the cultural traditions unique to those areas. I love spending Sunday afternoons with my family, cooking, eating, and laughing. Conservation is a lifelong interest of mine, and hiking and exploring our state and national parks is always inspiring.