I have lived in the Bradford and Corinth area since I was a very young child. My parents brought our family from suburban Chicago to Vermont because it is a great place to start a business and raise a family. My parents started Copeland Furniture which was and is a family-run business producing high quality hardwood furniture.

I graduated from Waits River Valley School and Oxbow High School. At the University of Vermont I earned degrees in History and Geology. While at UVM I was a member of the Varsity Field Hockey and Softball teams. I also played intramural basketball and was a member of the Geology Club.

While at UVM I met my husband, John Hanzas, a Burlington native. After we were married we moved back home to settle and raise a family. We have three daughters.

I earned my secondary science teaching certificate through the Upper Valley Teacher Institute and I have taught at Waits River Valley, Oxbow, Woodsville and Bradford Elementary.

After teaching for awhile, I took time off to raise my kids. In order to stay involved with teens, I continued to coach field hockey and softball at the high school level. Since my own children entered school, I've shifted to volunteer coaching for Bradford Youth Sports in soccer, basketball and softball.

Last year I opened The Local Buzz cafe with my friend, Terry Bassett. As a downtown Bradford business owner, I am a member of the Cohase Chamber and Bradford Merchant's Association. I have also served on the Bradford Workforce Investment and Little Rivers Health Care boards. I serve on the Staff-Parish Relations committee at Grace United Methodist Church and I volunteer regularly with parent groups at BES and Oxbow. I do volunteer fund raising for the Bradford Food Shelf, Bradford Youth Sports and the Conservation Fund.

I will work for equal rights and compassion for ALL people, decent jobs in a sustainable economy, excellent schools, tight budgets, streamlined government, and affordable health care. Read more about where I stand in Notes from the Statehouse, published in the Journal Opinion weekly from January thru May adjournment.