Tori is now a retired educator who has worked in public education for over 23 years. She has been a technology teacher in Utqiagvik, a K-6 classroom and head teacher at Salcha Elementary, and an elementary principal for the North Star Borough School District. 

Tori was born and raised in Salcha, Alaska, and attended Ben Eielson Jr/Sr. High school before transferring to Pine View High School in St. George, Utah. She attended Brigham Young University on an Art Scholarship but changed majors to become Athletic Trainer, eventually earning her Masters and is still NATA-certified.

In college, Tori worked as an initial Attack/Aircraft Dispatcher at BLM Alaska Fire Service. On graduation, she found herself married to an educator who had the opposite work schedule. After moving to Alaska from Oregon, she earned a teaching degree from the University of Alaska Southeast. 

Tori is the proud mother of three children and lives in a log home in Salcha on the Tanana River. She spends most of her time volunteering, gardening, patching up local athletes, and attending track meets.