I was admitted to the practice of law in May 1980 after graduating from Southern Illinois University School of Law in December, 1979. I was engaged in the private practice of law in the Mt. Sterling area from 1980 to 1997.

While in private practice, I served as Mt. Sterling City Attorney, Mt. Sterling Fire Protection District Attorney, and Ripley and Mounds Station Village Attorney. My private practice included a concentration in real estate, wills, domestic relations, adoptions and collections.

In 1997, I was appointed Illinois Assistant Attorney General and Director of the West Central Illinois Regional Office by Illinois Attorney General Jim Ryan. I continued to serve as Assistant Attorney General under Attorney General Lisa Madigan. My duties as Assistant Attorney General and Director of a Regional Office included representation of all the State of Illinois agencies in a 19 county region and various consumer protection services in the region. I resigned my work duties in July 2004 to better assist my parents with temporary elder health matters.

I was a founding Board Member of the Brown County United Way. I served on the Mt. Sterling Park District for over 13 years. I also served on various Illinois State Bar Committees, Judicial Selection Committees, and was an appointed member of the Illinois Juvenile Corrections Board. I currently serve on the John Wood Community College Foundation Board, the Make a Wish Regional Council and the Quincy Branch Alzheimer Association Advisory Board.

I was appointed to serve the remainder of former Representative Art Tenhouse’s term in June, 2006 and was first elected to the Illinois House in November, 2006. I now represent the 94th Illinois legislative district, covering all or parts of Adams, Hancock, Henderson and Warren Counties. I currently serve as Republican Spokesperson of the House Labor Committee and the House Business Growth and Incentives Committee, and am a member of the Judiciary, Human Services Appropriations, Public Utilities and the Real Estate, Property, Probate and Trust Committees. I was also recently appointed as co-chair of the bipartisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.