About Me

I’m serving my second term representing Bradford, Fairlee, and West Fairlee in the Vermont House, and I’m running for the Orange County Senate seat in 2026.

I grew up near the shores of Lake Armington in Piermont, New Hampshire, just across the Connecticut River from Bradford. From an early age, my mom, Carol, introduced my sister Ayla and me to community service through volunteering for our local church, school, and library. My dad, Russ, a self-employed sign painter and muralist, passed on a love for art and an ethic for hard work. We grew up below the poverty line, which came with challenges, but we were held up by a village of close-knit families and dedicated teachers. Those experiences shaped how I understand community and relationships.

I’m also queer, neurodivergent, and a humanist. These parts of who I am shape how I lead, how I communicate, and how I show up for others.

During middle school, I was selected for the People to People Student Ambassador Program in Europe and the Presidential Classroom: National Security in Democracy Program in Washington, D.C. I attended Oxbow High School in Bradford and moved there when I was sixteen. I worked several jobs at once: babysitting, retail, food service, network administration, and website design. After high school, I began at the University of Vermont before transferring to Lyndon State College, commuting from an off-the-grid hunting shack in Corinth. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Media and an Associate of Science in Graphic Design. In 2010, I moved to Seattle and received a Master of Communication in Digital Media from the University of Washington. In 2012, I returned to Bradford with a remote job as Director of Digital for an education software company and bought my first home.

Giving back to my community has always been a core part of who I am. I’ve served on more than two dozen local, regional, and statewide organizations. In Bradford, I’m a Justice of the Peace and have served on the Planning, Public Safety, Conservation, and Resilience commissions. I chaired the boards of Vital Communities and Green Mountain Economic Development Corporation, served on the board of the Vermont Council on Rural Development, and was in line to serve as District Governor of Rotary International District 7850, covering Vermont, New Hampshire, and Quebec, until I stepped down to run for State Representative in 2022.

In 2017, determined to help revive Bradford’s emptying Main Street, I founded The Space On Main. Housed in the former Hill’s 5 & 10 department store, it grew into a nonprofit coworking space, community gathering space, and education center. From its founding until January 2022, it was entirely volunteer-led. We supported remote workers, built programming to educate and connect people, convened discussions between community partners, and provided the physical and social infrastructure the northern Upper Valley needed. In 2022, I became the organization’s first paid employee and built programming in STEM education, civic engagement, entrepreneurship, small business, and the creative economy. On June 1, 2025, The Space On Main transferred its assets to The Hub: Bradford Teen Center so it could expand its footprint and offerings.

In July 2025, to create more balance with legislative service, I returned my focus to MEPriestley LLC, the Bradford-based consulting practice I’ve run since 2004, advising nonprofits, small businesses, and municipalities on technology. I’ve also begun returning to nonprofit board service to support regional economic and community development.

My background in design, technology, and digital communications is something I bring into my service at the Statehouse every day. It’s why I’ve spent much of my time in the House taking on the world’s biggest tech corporations by leading on data privacy, data brokers, artificial intelligence, and consumer protection.

After two terms in the House, I know what it takes to move something in Montpelier and what it costs to try. I’ve done it against the best-funded lobbying in the country, and I did it because most people don’t have a lawyer or a lobbyist and shouldn’t need one to be treated fairly.

I’ve found a way to lead that aligns with my values: candid, bipartisan, and grounded in authenticity and community. My campaign for the Orange County Senate seat is built on affordability, transparency, and inclusion, and on the belief that government should work for everyone.

My full resume is available here as a PDF.