Home: Baltimore, MD. Organization: Uber. Title: Head of Global Accessibility Policy. Languages spoken: Basic Spanish, French, Hindi, and Russian; currently learning ASL.
Current project: I’m working on a nontraditional quilt project. Recent professional development: Building an interpersonal coaching private practice. Recent travel or adventure: I celebrated my 40th birthday in Cuba. Last book read: The Empusium, by Olga Tokarczuk. Recent unique acquisition: An antique box containing dozens of letters exchanged between our ancestral family during the American Civil War.
What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Open-minded. How do you define a perfect friendship? Reciprocity, witness-ship, admiration, and unconditional positive regard. What is your greatest joy? Popcorn. I eat it several days a week. What natural talent have you neglected? I love being on stage and acting. What occupation, other than your own, do you most admire? A nurse or midwife. I have great admiration for birth workers. What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Paying for dinners with friends. What is your go-to workout? I lift weights, run, bike, kayak, hike, and do yoga and Qigong. What ingredient is essential to your perfect vacation? A local used bookshop or vintage clothing store for souvenir reminders of my trip.
What was your first paying job? A small Italian market, at Hot Topic in the mall, a waitress at a nice restaurant. What was your favorite college course? International Politics. What was your favorite childhood toy or game? Outside playing with kids or exploring the woods by myself. What book have you repeatedly read? Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle, by Vladimir Nabokov. Besides your parents, who has had the greatest influence on your life? My best friends and my nieces. What is your go-to source of news and information? Al Jazeera, The Guardian, social media and podcasts of political organizers I trust. What is your go-to source of creative inspiration? Nature.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field?
In my work at Uber, facilitating the right to movement.
What widely held belief do you reject? Separating children and older adults from the central spaces of adult life. What mega-trend most concerns you? The role of AI shifting workplace functions and the ways that change is outpacing public policy.
What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Uma Thurman. As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A veterinarian (before I found out they had to do surgery on animals). After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? The last letter my dad wrote to me before he died. How would you choose to spend tomorrow, if you knew it was your last day on earth? I would go on a long walk in the woods and call each of my friends.
Personal mission: Collective liberation. None of us is free until we are all free. Favorite quote: "It is our duty to fight for our freedom, it is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other, we have nothing to lose but our chains” (Assata Shakur).
