Reggie was born and raised in Pocatello, ID in a comfortable middle class home, thanks to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, the union that her father belonged to, and that fought for good pay and health insurance for railroad employees. Reggie studied at Idaho State University, Columbia University, and earned a PhD in environmental chemistry from the University of California, Davis. She has spent her career studying a broad range of environmental issues, including smog formation, pesticide exposure, drinking and wastewater treatment, and the effects of climate change on oceans and coral reefs. For the past 25 years she has worked in a Montana-owned small business, developing scientific instruments used by oceanographers around the world, and low-cost instruments for STEM education and citizen science.

Reggie and her husband spent two years as Peace Corps volunteers, and have raised three children from diverse backgrounds, helping her to understand the needs and challenges that different people face. She has volunteered with Girl Scouts, leading a robotics team to the Montana state championship, and with PTA, 4H, Missoula Children’s Theater, high school sports and music programs, and Climate Smart Missoula.

Reggie enjoys mentoring students, parenting, hiking, floating, practicing yoga, and cooking. She loves activities that allow her to share her love of science and the environment with young people. 

Reggie’s life experiences have taught her tolerance for different cultures, different opinions, and different life choices. She has learned to build relationships and to build coalitions between scientists and engineers coming from different fields and having different approaches to hard problems. Her persistence and ability to focus on difficult problems and attack them from different angles will translate well to legislative work.