• Lifelong resident of Northeastern Wisconsin and total animal geek from the time my eyes could focus on movement

• B.S. in Botany from University of Wisconsin, Madison

• Employed by the Village of Ephraim as Zoning Administrator – recently retired

• Discovered koi in 1997 and became an insatiable student of all things koi – still have my first koi, purchased at WalMart (God Bless her, she survived my 14-year learning curve!)

• Designed and built my three outdoor ponds and indoor ‘winter quarters’, improving each as I learned

• Built and plumbed my own filtration systems – dogged DIYer

• Certified Koi Health Advisor, and 2008 KHA Roundtable presentation “Healing of Deep Tissue Wound w/ Saprolegnia”

• ‘Trusted Koivet Mentor’ on Koivet Forum

• Member of Upper Midwest Koi Club – guest speaker in May of 2009

• Frequently consult with local and regional koi hobbyists regarding pond design, koi health issues and water quality

• Particularly fascinated with dynamics of water chemistry as well as the extra challenges of keeping koi in climates with serious winters

• One of the founding members of K.O.I. Inc.