Home: Pennsylvania. Profession: Nonprofits, higher education, faith-based organizations, volunteer engagement. Pronouns: She/Her/Hers. Alma mater: Lehigh University (B.A., M.S.); Cornell University (Certificate); Harvard Graduate School of Education (Certificate); American College of Financial Services (CAP®).
Recent recognition: Professional of the Year 2022 - Council for the Advancement and Support of Education District 2. Recent professional development: Institute for Education Management - Harvard Graduate School of Education. Latest accomplishment: Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy. Latest contribution to others: CHIEF; American Civil Liberties Union of PA Board of Directors.; American Cancer Society: Greater Lehigh Valley Chapter Board of Advisors; Daughters of the American Revolution: Captain William Penny Chapter Member; Lehigh University Alumni Awards Committee. Recent travel or adventure: Hiking the Beehive Trail at Acadia National Park.
Personality profile: Highly motivated, self-aware, team-focused. Purposeful visionary, strategic, straight forward. What one word would your closest friend use to describe you? Loyal. Moral compass: If you don’t know what to do, just do the next right thing. Everything will eventually fall into place, and the path will become clear. What is your greatest joy? My son, Jacob. What is your favorite place (or way) to spend money? Travel. Anywhere, anytime! What is your go-to workout? Hiking, walking, exploring.
What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? Pictures of my parents and son. What’s the best advice you received growing up? Be nice to everyone. What’s the best advice you received in your career? It’s not how fast you are going; it’s moving in the right direction. What is your go-to source of news and information? Newspapers. What personal circumstance has had the greatest influence on your life? Being a single mother, I understood the influence of my example and the importance of my legacy. This insight has guided my choices through difficult times.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? I love discovering efficiencies and leveraging resources and relationships to increase the impact of nonprofits on the communities they serve. This passion fuels both my professional and personal activities. What change would you like to see in the world? Global adherence to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. What message do you want to send out into the world? It’s progress, not perfection, that counts. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough.
What widely held belief do you reject?
That one person can’t make a difference. When the wrongs seem overwhelming, we should remember the words of Robert Kennedy: Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.
What title would you choose for the movie about your life? More To It than You Think. What actor would you choose to play you in the movie about your life? Jennifer Beals. After your loved ones, what object would you first save from your burning home? Home movies and old photographs. What advice would you give your younger self? Do what you can with what you have and what you know to create a positive impact. Don’t delay!
Personal mission: Be an unstoppable force for good. Personal motto: “Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them” (Dalai Lama). Favorite quote: “If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do matters very much” (Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis). Desired epitaph: She did her best, and it was good enough.
