Heather grew up in the rural town of Dorris in Siskiyou County, where she met her husband, Bryon. They married in 2003 and now reside in Modoc County with their two almost grown sons. Sam is a junior attending college in Nebraska on a shooting sports scholarship and now high school senior- Zack. She also has a bonus daughter Shayla who is a sophomore at Shasta College. Together, they operate a diversified family farm producing hay, vegetables, and pumpkins, raising Highland cattle, and run Modoc County’s only pumpkin patch each fall. 

The daughter of a single mother who worked multiple jobs, Heather is a first-generation college graduate. She earned her Associate’s Degree from Shasta College and a Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture Science from California State University, Chico. In 2016, she completed a Master’s Degree in Leadership and Management.

Heather’s professional background spans both education and public service. She taught at the elementary and high school  and for the last four years created and taught as a Public Safety instructor at Modoc High School. She also previously served as the County 4-H Coordinator through the University of California, Davis.

Her experience as a small business owner as both a farm operator and former owner of a local newspaper has given her a strong understanding of the economic and regulatory challenges faced by rural entrepreneurs. She is a strong advocate for policies that support small businesses and job creation.

Heather spent the last two years working for the Modoc County Office of Education, where she oversaw school safety and emergency preparedness. The two person unit was one of the first in the state focused on school safety. There, Heather was able to help many counties and states create and stand up school safety positions and programs. Heather has presented all over the state and at the National level on school safety in rural areas.  Prior to this role, she served as Deputy Director of the Office of Emergency Services for the Modoc County Sheriff’s Office. In that capacity, she managed disaster response and recovery efforts, including wildfire evacuations and interagency coordination during major incidents such as the Bootleg, Dixie, and McKinney Fires. Heather served on many CalOES committees including statewide training, warning and alert systems and mutual aid. In her management role at the Sheriff’s office, Heather supervised Dispatch, managed the Sheriff’s office budget, wrote and managed all grants and was in charge of their communications and outreach. 

Heather is deeply involved in community service and civic leadership. Her volunteer roles have included serving as president of a local school board, planting and pastoring a children’s ministry, coaching youth sports, and participating in numerous organizations, including the California Youth Shooting Sports Association, PTO, Ducks Unlimited, Cub Scouts, Little League, and the Alturas Chamber of Commerce.  Heather currently serves on the Assembly Budget committee, Education finance, Agriculture, Insurance, Business & Professions, special session budget and is Vice-Chair of Emergency Management.