I was born in Houston, TX to working class parents. My father was a maintenance man, and my mother a massage therapist. In elementary school, my parents moved us to the hill country in Canyon Lake, where I spent the rest of my childhood. I was fortunate enough to meet the man of my dreams at 16-years old, and Ben and I have been together since.
I experienced some of the most defining moments of my life in a very short time and at a very young age. Just a week after my high school graduation, my father died in a tragic car accident. He was not able to see me off to college or walk me down the aisle, both of which happened shortly after his death. It was during this challenging time that I found my faith, and it is through my faith that I have found the strength to fight the toughest battles and celebrate the greatest joys of my life.
Before turning 25, Ben and I took a leap of faith and opened our first business—The Gents Place—a full service, upscale barbershop. We got an SBA loan two weeks before Lehman Brothers collapsed. Despite the odds and after years of dedication and perseverance, our small business has grown into an organization of dedicated franchisees and employees in multiple locations across the country.
I’ve learned a tremendous amount about success and hardship as a small business owner. However, parenting has, by far, proven to be
the most rewarding and challenging job I’ve ever had. Ben and I have been blessed with three children—our son Benjamin (15), Pierce (14), and Caroline (12). Shortly after Pierce was born, doctors discovered a heart defect that required he undergo 12-hour open heart surgery. That surgery, and the two heart surgeries that followed, saved his life.
The challenges of losing my father in an unexpected tragedy, starting a small business at a young age, and fighting for the life of my newborn son, forged in me a sense of determination and grit. I quickly learned that when faced with adversity, I must fight faithfully and relentlessly for the people I care about and the values I hold dear. That faithful determination was put to the test when Clay Jenkins shut down our business during the pandemic. While liquor stores remained “essential,” hairdressers, gym owners, and even pastors were considered “non-essential,” and our doors were shuttered against our will and in violation of our rights. However, it was when Clay Jenkins usurped my role as the medical and moral authority of my children that I decided I must fight back.
Because of my children’s health issues and their inability to wear a mask throughout the 8 hour school day, DISD forced them to segregate from their classmates. Despite documented health exemptions, DISD removed my children from their daily educational instruction, placed them in a corner of the library, and built an unventilated plexiglass cage around them, barring them from playing or interacting with other students and putting them on clear display for students to ridicule and shame them for weeks on end. After countless unanswered pleas to the School Board and the County for a better remedy, I resolved to do everything I could to restore parental rights and champion medical, religious, and economic freedom in Dallas County.
I believe in a Dallas County that gives control back to the families, young professionals, and business owners who live and work here. And, I also believe in a Dallas County that champions freedom, rewards hard work, and fosters growth. That will only happen if we restore a winning Republican Party, and I am ready for the challenge.
I hope you consider supporting my vision for a winning Dallas County Republican Party. I am ready to serve.
