To say I come from a long line of fiery women would be an understatement. My great-great-grandmother raised 9 children in rural Oklahoma, my great-grandmother was a “Rosie Riveter” at Lockheed in California, and my grandmother had managed to get a business account without her husband and refused to have a segregated beauty shop in Imperial Beach.  They were forces to be reckoned with and modeled that you can be kind AND strong.

I was born in Jacksonville, Florida, the only child of a nursing assistant and a police officer. My spare time was either near a body of water, in the library, or decompressing at my godparents’ home in rural Georgia. 

I moved out west in 2005. At the time, I was married to a firefighter with the Forest Service who got orders for a station in Truckee. Due to fire season, a dismal rental market, and being alone for sometimes a few months at a time with a young infant (John), we thought it would be better to settle in Reno. I loved this area so much, I decided to make it my forever home.

I am the proud mom to two incredible kids. You will learn more about John below, but I also have my wonderful daughter, Lydia. Lydia is a sweet spirit.  She loves animals and really enjoys learning about Japanese culture.  She is slowly learning the language, and her bucket list trip is to go to Japan.  She currently volunteers weekly at a community food bank.  Lydia is homeschooling and participates in a dual enrollment program at a local community college. Lydia is so incredibly smart and talented, and I cannot wait to see the woman she continues to become.

After my divorce, I wanted to raise my kids in the place that helped get me through it all. That’s when I met the love of my life. First Lady Michelle Obama held an event at the University of Nevada, Reno, and I couldn’t get any friends to go with me, so I went by myself. My future wife, Tammy, was in front of me in line, and we had HOURS to talk until we could get inside the venue and attend the event. I got her number, and the rest is history 

I am happily married to Tammy, who is a fifth-generation Nevadan whose family roots started in the Washoe Valley/Franktown area.  We have two children- Lydia, who is 16, and John, who is 19. My kids and my family are my world. We also have an absurd number of pets: two dogs and three cats who fill our home with so much joy.

In my free time, I love spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy rockhounding, reading, and political group activities geared towards community service.  I’m currently Vice Chair of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus for the State Democratic Party and a member of the Carson City Democratic Central Committee. Service to my community is at the heart of everything I do.

Home means Nevada, and I am so lucky to call this special place my home.


My name is Chrystal, and it It so nice to meet you. 

Black and white photograph of three women, one standing behind and two seated in front, in vintage clothing from the early to mid-20th century.
An elderly woman and a young girl rolling out dough together on a kitchen table with a rolling pin, surrounded by kitchen items.
Three women and a baby girl posing together for a family portrait. The women are smiling, and the baby is sitting on a table with a blanket, wearing a pink dress.
A group of people, including a man dressed as Santa Claus and a woman wearing a Christmas hat, posing together with children in a festive environment.
A smiling baby sitting in a blue Fisher-Price high chair, wearing a red shirt and making a fist with one hand.
A young man in a blue graduation cap and gown standing outdoors in front of a bush with pink and red flowers, with a house and trees in the background.
Young male athlete in sports jersey with medal around neck, posing indoors with lockers behind him.

Mother. Fighter. Nevadan.

Hell hath no fury like a special needs parent!

One of the most pivotal moments of my life was when my very wanted first baby was born, John.  The pregnancy and delivery were a rough start, little did I know what was in store for our lives when he started to lose his language, eye contact, and struggled to make sense of his little world.  

“Your son has autism, I don’t know what you can do about it, but in the meantime, I can write a prescription”. 

That’s it?!!

That was how our family was told by a physician about John’s Autism diagnosis. Our family was given no help with service connection, and due to service freezing with the Great Recession, he received no services until the age of 3, when he could thankfully enroll in school.

Thankfully, John has blossomed thanks to hard-working teachers, para-educators, an amazing pediatrician, and nonprofits that provided low or no-cost services such as recreational activities and job skill development.

 We joke that “we can never die” because John will always need some help in some parts of his life, the only services (thanks once again to budget cuts) he can receive is case management. That is not enough for any person with special needs to survive with.   

I understand the fatigue of having to FIGHT FOR THE BASIC SERVICES OTHER CHILDREN RECEIVE. I have spent my working career fighting for others like my son, their families, and even made a point to get training to support them in psychotherapy since service providers are sparse.

I am so proud to call John my son. He is a sweet spirit with a strong sense of order and justice. He recently graduated from high school, learned how to ride the bus, and is excited to work. We could not be prouder of both of our kids.

I want to take the lessons I have learned fighting for my family to the Nevada Legislature so that I can fight for all Nevada families.






As a social worker, I know that when people have the support they need, they can thrive.

My work is at the core of who I am.

I am proud to have my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from UNR in social work. I did my undergrad work with the Washoe County Public Defender’s office. I primarily would do mitigation interviews to help share their life stories and better help Judges who were reviewing their cases better understand who they were. That experience showed me how important funding for programming in substance use, mental health, and housing could help alleviate and possibly prevent people from having to make choices based on survival.

I worked in five counties and investigated over three hundred cases with Adult Protective Services. I worked with first responders, medical providers, families, and community organizations to help Nevada’s seniors live healthy and safe lives ON THEIR TERMS.

Doing that work, I fell more in love with the rural areas of our state. It reminded me that we all share the same values of wanting our neighbors to thrive and be safe. Understanding that sometimes it takes a village to help someone out of a tough situation, an unplanned emergency, and that it can be done with respecting individual freedoms.

During one investigation, a police officer who was working on the same case called me and started having a panic attack, telling me how the victim reminded him of a relative. Looking back, I feel that I did enough to just hold space for him to talk about the discomfort he was experiencing in that moment. At the time, the meaning I took away from it was that people trusted me and people felt heard when they were with me. That is when I decided I needed to build on these skills and become a therapist.

I am incredibly proud to be a licensed clinical social worker doing general practice and mental health court programming. I am also a small business owner with a private practice.