Mandi was born in the small mountain town of Salida, CO.  She grew up in various parts of Colorado and eventually graduated high school from Woodland Park High School in Woodland Park, CO.  She ventured out of Colorado for college at Concordia University, Seward, NE, where she graduated with a degree in middle-level education.  She also was blessed to meet her husband, Ben, in Seward.  They were married in 2001. 

In 2002, they were called to Faith Lutheran Jr./Sr. High School in Las Vegas, NV, where Mandi taught 6^th grade and middle school PE.  They intended to stay for “only 3-5 years,” but ended up staying for 14 years.  All four of their children—Peder, Ruth, Anna, and Andrew—were born in Las Vegas.  Mandi spent 10 of their 14 years there as a stay-at-home mom.  In 2016, Concordia Lutheran Schools of Omaha called Ben to be their Athletic Director, so they made the trek back to Nebraska to begin their ministry there.

Mandi was a substitute teacher at Concordia for 6 years before coming on board full-time.  She enjoys teaching a couple of classes and working in the office as an administrative assistant. Some of her hobbies include reading, hiking, camping, gardening (even though she tends to have a black thumb), and spending time with her family (which often includes watching the kids in all their activities).