Home: New York, NY. Birthplace: Connecticut. Profession: Creative Director. Pronouns: She/Her/Hers. Alma mater: Fashion Institute of Technology (State University of New York).
Latest contribution to others: A creative project for a small NGO based in East Africa, offering my time and design expertise. What’s been your big (or biggest leap)? Traveling alone to Rwanda to visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Hobbies: Exploring the world and learning about other cultures. Sports (particularly Formula 1) and music. Recent travel or adventure: Rome, to attend the Italian Open. Last book read: Unknown Pleasures: Inside Joy Division, by Peter Hook. Recently viewed and recommended: The Last of Us.
Moral compass: I trust my gut. It’s rarely wrong, and always faster than overthinking. How do you define a perfect friendship? Silence is comfortable, sarcasm is fluent, and trust is a given. How do you define an ideal business relationship? Mutual respect, clear communication, and a shared sense of humor. Bonus points if we actually like one another. What is your greatest joy? My Sphynx cat. He’s strange and wonderful and makes me laugh out loud daily. What is your greatest fear? Wasting time on the wrong things. What is your guilty pleasure? Teen dramas, from Beverly Hills, 90210 to whatever is trending in Spain or South Korea. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? Wildlife rangers in Africa. What is at the top of your bucket list? Witnessing the Great Migration in Tanzania. How do you relieve stress? A good playlist and a long walk. Better still if it’s in a new city.
What was your first paying job? Preschool teacher’s aide. What was your favorite childhood toy or game? Anything to do with animals. I had a deep love for wildlife early on. What movie have you repeatedly watched? Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? Photographs from my travels. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? Dian Fossey, whose devotion to animals was fearless and deeply human. What’s the best advice you received in your career? From a college professor: These are your peers, stay connected. You’ll work together for years. Don’t burn bridges.”
What is your big idea?
That storytelling, whether visual, verbal, or experiential, has the power to create change and shift culture.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Centering creative leadership around empathy and global perspective. What change would you like to see in the world? A collective return to curiosity, compassion and fact-based dialogue. What message do you want to send out into the world? Travel far, listen deeply, create bravely. What widely held belief do you reject? That creatives should be grateful for “exposure.” Pay people properly.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? Out of Office: A Life in Motion. Who would you like to spend an evening with, in heaven? My parents. One more evening would be everything. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A movie director. Still in love with storytelling. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? A box of old photos. Irreplaceable memories. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? Watching the wildlife in the Serengeti under that endless African sky. What advice would you give your younger self? Don’t be so hard on yourself. Let it be messy. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? College years. I would have studied zoology and built a path around conservation.
Personal motto: You’ve got to go through it to get past it. Favorite quote: “Make it simple, but significant” (Don Draper, in Mad Men).
