Sonja grew up in Oregon and holds a B.S. from Oregon State University and a Project Management Certification (PMP) from the Project Management Institute. She currently serves as the President of the Pine River Arts Board.

Sonja spent her career in the commercial airline industry working for two major carriers on their customer self-service products, developing speech automation solutions and global contact center projects. Her roles bridged the creative and technical sides of the business.
In 2014, Sonja and her husband retired and moved to the beautiful Pine River Valley where she became involved with Music in the Mountains in Durango. She served as a volunteer and the event coordinator for their largest fundraising event, Pops Night. Her enjoyment of all types of music lead her to become involved with Pine River Arts and help usher in its season of in-home concerts and to create a model that will allow the people of the Pine River Valley and beyond to enjoy music and the arts in the years to come.

In her spare time, Sonja and her husband enjoy skiing, hiking, listening to live music and traveling.