A Nebraska native, Emily was drawn into ministry while serving as a youth mentor with Incarnate Word Missionaries in Chimbote, Peru, where she became captivated by the power of parishes as agents of community development. The incarceration experience of her husband, as well as her exposure to reconciliation and restorative justice through studies and practicum at CTU deepened and clarified her calling. Since 2017, Emily has worked at Kolbe House, the jail ministry of the Archdiocese of Chicago, where she practices and teaches the relationship-centered values of restorative justice through family ministry, parish outreach, and volunteer formation.