Governing Board Parent Representative

Emily brings a rich, heart-centered background in community building, writing, and education. A California transplant by way of Alaska, her professional journey includes working as a technical writer and editor for the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium, as well as growing up guided by an engineering entrepreneur dad and a volunteer librarian mom. At home, she and her spouse, Ryan, are parents to two uniquely wonderful, very different kids. As an LGBTQ+ community member, parent, and advocate, Emily’s personal and professional experiences have deeply grounded her in the everyday realities, challenges, and joys of supporting diverse family and learning needs.

Our community will also recognize Emily as a visionary social entrepreneur and the founder of A Seat at the Table Books in Elk Grove. Her work building an award-winning, welcoming, and genuinely inclusive bookstore and café has made her a regional leader in creating accessible spaces where LGBTQ+ individuals, neurodivergent community members, and people of all backgrounds truly belong. Equipped with her sharp analytical mind, passion for literacy, and deep commitment to community voice, Emily brings both immense credibility and a deeply empathetic perspective to our board. We are honored to have her leadership supporting Horizon’s families!