• Born in Burns, Oregon.

• Riding Harleys is her No. 1 love, but she also enjoys hunting, fishing and sand dune-ing.

• Describes herself as one who works hard and plays hard, but also as an independent and loyal person with an outgoing personality.

• She is most inspired by her mom, who told her that she could do anything if she wanted to badly enough.

• Comes from a family of linemen, including twin uncles.

• Can't live without line work, her high-voltage indicator, hot sticks, personal protection equipment and her crew.

Early Years

I began my career in outside construction and was trained as a lineman through the California-Nevada Joint Apprenticeship Training program. I worked for numerous companies and traveled around the country getting my education. I thought it made me a well-rounded journeyman.

I began as a groundman and worked in California and Nevada as an apprentice. In the beginning, it was not easy to work in a male-dominated profession. I had to prove myself on every job, and this went on until I had my own reputation.

Day in the Life

As a foreman, my typical day begins early. My alarm goes off at 3:45 a.m., and then my work day starts at about 6 a.m. I get the line crew loaded up and then we head out into the field. Every day is different, and our responsibilities vary depending on whether we're doing new construction, maintenance work or going out on a storm-restoration job.

For the last 16 years, I've worked from about 6 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., six days a week, but because construction has slowed down, we have shorter hours and are typically done with our day by about 2:30 p.m.

Memorable Storm

I remember when my crew was sent to the top of snow-capped Mount Potosi to fix some downed lines. We got called out at 7 a.m., and by noon, there was 3.5 feet of snow. Later, we heard a trouble call, we knew we needed to get to the top of the mountain. We grabbed the four-wheelers, threw them on the back of the truck and the trailer, and we headed to the base of Mount Potosi. As we were heading up, we ran into some radio-tower guys in a jeep who were coming down the mountain; they had failed to make it to the top for their work. They told us we would never make it to the top. We live for challenges, and we indeed did make it up to the summit and fixed the problem. It was a blast.

Working in the Desert

When you work in the desert, the temperatures are hot. You're in the heat from 5 a.m. through the evening, and you acclimatize to it. You need to drink a lot of water, and you need to make sure that your crew also stays hydrated. If the linemen aren't drinking enough water, then you need to put them in air conditioning. I always tell my crews to respect the heat.

Crew Camaraderie

I am an avid Harley rider, and I go on a lot of motorcycle rides with my crew from NV Energy. We're like a well-oiled machine, and it's fun to ride with the people you work with. I think a group that plays together stays together.

I own a 1996 Harley that I built from the ground up. It has five different colors of flames. I also have a 2006 Street Glide, which is my traveling bike.

Safety Lesson

There are moments when all linemen appreciate their safety training. All of us have known people who have lost their lives in this trade, and usually it comes back to safety. Safety is very important, and it's No. 1 in my book.

I remember when I was an apprentice, a lineman was up on a transmission line and clipped his safety belt into the same D ring. Since the device wasn't load-bearing, it broke, and he fell to his death. I was really young back then, and it really hit home.

Looking Ahead

My plans for the future are to be a journeyman lineman for the rest of my career, but I will always remain active in safety training, supporting IBEW and passing on my knowledge and experiences to the young apprentices of this trade.