I was born and raised in Oregon. In the early years, we lived in a house my Dad had built, but we didn't have indoor plumbing or a bathroom. We hauled all our water, and always tried to get done at the outhouse before dark! Then my Dad and my uncles started a road building company, and that started us moving from place to place, making new roads. I got to experience a lot of places, usually very remote. We had a "tight knit" family that worked long, hard hours; and had a philosophy my parents always called "Hooverizing." That came from the depression years (the Great Depression....1930s). We hunted our meat, canned and put up everything we would eat through the year, and wasted nothing.

From early on, I had three passions: wilderness, running and horses. Living the way we did, I got plenty of running and nature. And begging my parents relentlessly, they finally succumbed and bought me a bred mare. For the next ten years, the horse and I were constant companions and best friends (well...she was mine!) and I had the experience of raising the colt. At the end of that time, I left for college...a hard thing to do, having hardly ever spent a night away from home in my entire life. Going to college was the first time for living in a "town." My love of running and sports led me to a career in collegiate athletics, first as a two sport Division I athlete, and then as a professor/coach. Those years broadened my world considerably. The years of study, intense training and pursuit of excellence gave me a solid foundation and the confidence to tackle big things....chipping away at them one step at a time. My love of nature led to climbing and backpacking travels all over the world. These adventures had their own effect in reinforcing that notion that you can do many things by taking them one small step at a time. Then meeting Dan Carver, my husband, brought me home again...back to my roots.

Today, I plunge into the challenges of creating solutions and adapting to problems we face in agriculture. Even though my formal studies were not in agriculture or history or marketing, many of the qualities that served me well in high level athletics and climbing and backpacking adventures are an asset here too. And those qualities really come from the family roots I grew up with. You find a way to compete; or as sometimes phrased in family ranching, a way to survive. Creativity, perseverance, passion. The Imperial Stock Ranch has a long history and tradition of growing food and fiber. We continue that work, striving to do an ever improving job on the land. We have a mission to connect with customers who value healthy food and healthy land, and provide them with a quality experience. Most of my efforts today are centered around that connection.

Life at the Imperial Stock Ranch with my husband, our family....and our bigger ranch family, is a rich blessing. I now live a daily life that blends my three passions: wilderness, running and horses. God has a way of arranging things. The diversity of the work and challenges, the rewards of working at good stewardship of land and animals, and the pleasures of working together keep life full and meaningful.