Meet Natalie

Natalie lives in Howard County with her husband John. They have been married 38 years and raised two children in this district who attended our public schools. Natalie earned her B.A. from Oberlin College and her M.A. from Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies. Her first career was in broadcast journalism, primarily at CNN, where she worked as a segment producer, booking and interviewing guests, writing interviews for anchors and putting together talk shows.

Natalie’s family has been farming in Maryland for many generations, with deep roots in Western Howard County. This connection to the community inspires Natalie’s commitment to promoting healthy civic engagement with our government as neighbors, not political enemies. Natalie and her husband, John, took over part of the family farming operation in 1989 and have lived here since 1994. 

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Natalie understands the challenges of starting, growing, and operating a small business firsthand because she has lived them. In 2001, Natalie and her husband founded Commonwealth Imports/Natalie Ziegler Designs, a jewelry design and manufacturing firm that sold to independent jewelry stores across the United States. They closed the business in 2022, but they continue to own and operate Carroll Mill Farm, growing feed grains and rye for the distillery market. ​​