The Journey
My story in this industry didn't start in a boardroom or a classroom — it started on the floor of a local steel mill, where both of my parents worked, when I was eighteen years old.
I came in as an intern and spent time moving through different departments, learning the operation from the ground up. The turning point came when I was fortunate enough to land in the melt shop. I started helping with power-on tracking at the furnace, and before long I was regularly assisting with ladle and furnace brick installations. I didn't know it at the time, but those early experiences were laying a foundation that would shape everything that came after.
From there, my path led me to HarbisonWalker International, where I began to develop a real understanding of refractory — how to treat it properly, how to get the most out of it, and how to investigate failures when things don't go as expected. That investigative mindset has stayed with me ever since. I moved on to RHI Magnesita, where I continued building on those fundamentals, deepening my knowledge of installation best practices, failure analysis, and material selection across different process types. After more than seventeen years working in the field, I was offered the opportunity to lead RHI Magnesita's North American recycling team — a role that opened my eyes to the full lifecycle of refractory materials and the real strategic value locked inside spent material programs.
My career has taken me across both sides of the industry as well, with supplier-side roles at organizations including RHI Magnesita, HarbisonWalker, and Trasteel, alongside producer-side experience at Gerdau. Each chapter taught me something different. On the supplier side, I learned the materials deeply and technically, with a lot of respect for how much precision goes into getting refractory right. On the producer side, I learned what it actually feels like to be on the receiving end of that expertise — to make decisions under pressure and live with the consequences in a running operation. That dual perspective is something I carry into every engagement I take on today.
I founded Forge & Fern Advisory in 2026 because I wanted to put everything I had learned to work in a more direct way — for operations that deserve honest, independent guidance without a supplier's agenda shaping the conversation. My work spans the full range of what a refractory program requires: material selection, installation, process best practices, failure analysis, and sustainable spent material solutions. I also support clients on the business side — team development, business development, and marketing strategy — because strong operations need strong foundations in every direction.
I'm an active member of the AIST community, including the Ladle & Secondary Refining Committee and the Women in Steel Committee, and I've had the privilege of presenting technical work to my peers over the years. That connection to the broader industry matters to me. This is a community I grew up in — literally and professionally — and Forge & Fern Advisory is my way of continuing to contribute to it, one operation at a time.