Home: Chicago, IL. Age: 46. Birthplace: Indiana. Profession: Nonprofit executive. Organization: SitStayRead. Pronouns: She/Her/Hers. Alma mater: Boston University (M.S.W.).
Current project: Serving as Executive Director for SitStayRead. Hobbies: Running, yoga, cooking. Last book read: How to Think Like a Breadwinner, by Jennifer Barrett. Recently viewed and recommended: Anatomy of a Scandal.
What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Loyal. How do you define a perfect friendship? Old friends I can be myself around and who know me deeply. What is your greatest joy? Nature. What is your guilty pleasure? Watching reruns of Murder, She Wrote. What natural talent have you neglected? Creative writing. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Early educators and nurses. What is at the top of your bucket list? A trip to Utah. What is your go-to workout? Running.
What was your first paying job? Lifeguard. What book have you repeatedly read? One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel-Garcìa Màrquez. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? A picture with Frida Kahlo, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sojourner Truth and Amelia Earhart. What’s the best advice you received in your career? Stop proving your worth and start sharing your value. What modern technology innovation do you most appreciate? Video meetings (Zoom). What is your go-to source of news and information? Skimm. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Meditation.
What change would you like to see in the world?
For people to listen more and judge less.
What message do you want to send out into the world? Practice gratitude every day. What widely held belief do you reject? When pursuing a career, it’s either money or passion. That you can’t have both. What mega-trend most excites you? Social media, for its ability to amplify voices that have not been heard before (e.g., women in Iran). What mega-trend most concerns you? Social media, for the ease with which hate can be spread and mean things can be said.
Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? My dad. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A teacher. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? With my family, hiking outdoors someplace beautiful. What advice would you give your younger self? You are worthy. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? My twenties.
Personal mission: Leave it better than I found it. Personal motto: Surrender. I am right where I need to be. Favorite quote: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us” (Marianne Williamson).
