Home: Plano, TX. Age: Old enough to work with people young enough to be my children. Profession: Construction. Organization: GMi, Inc. Title: Chief Innovation Officer. Significant other: My sweet husband, Glenn Forbes. Alma mater: Xavier University.
Latest accomplishment: Bringing the national Construction Cares team to North Texas. Construction Cares brings individuals and groups from various construction companies together to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at their Light the Night events. Latest contribution to others: Joined the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Tarrant County board. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Leaving a job after almost twenty years and moving across the country for something new. Recently viewed and recommended: Slow Horses (Apple+ TV).
What is your greatest joy? Lazy summer days with my husband. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Nurses and EMT. What is at the top of your bucket list? Renting an RV and traveling to North Dakota, then to Montana, then back to Texas. How do you relieve stress? In the summer or fall, lounging in the pool; in the winter or spring, soaking in the hot tub. What ingredient is essential to your perfect vacation? Most any body of water, whether ocean, river, lake or babbling brook.
What was your first paying job? McDonald’s. What was your favorite college course? Theology and Ecology: Finding God in Nature. What movie have you repeatedly watched? Six Pack. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? Globes. A slew of them. What’s the best advice you received in your career? Ask yourself if you’d rather be right or happy. What modern technology innovation do you most appreciate? GPS.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field?
Changing the view of the IT department in the organization. IT should be a proactive, not reactive, business partner that brings innovation, ideas and leading technology to the table.
What message do you want to send out into the world? We can disagree with kindness. What widely held belief do you reject? Fake it until you make it. It’s okay to not know.
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? An architect. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? My father’s kaleidoscopes. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? On a beach, next to my husband, enjoying endless margaritas and calm seas. What advice would you give your younger self? Just wait. It is so worth it.
Favorite quote: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage” (Lao Tzu). Desired epitaph: Wow…what a ride that was!
