Petra lives with her husband and their three children in Downers Grove. She attended school in Germany and, after high school, began studying early childhood education. She has worked with children ages 3 to 12 and continued her studies to earn a degree in special education.

Petra worked in a pre-K and kindergarten classroom for seven years before transitioning to an inclusive classroom setting, where she worked for another six years. During her maternity leave, she moved to the United States and has remained there since, currently working part-time.

While her oldest is successfully studying at IIT, her two younger children attend Downers Grove South High School as a freshman and a senior. Petra is looking forward to supporting students at the German Language School in their exciting adventure of learning a second language.