1. I was born and raised in Baltimore, MD (properly pronounced “Ball-murr”) and actually my family’s Baltimore roots go back to the 1800’s. Also in my “bloodline” is being a lawyer. Both parents, my grandfather, and several great uncles were lawyers. My brother and I swore we would not betray our two sisters and become lawyers, too, but the DNA won out. Growing up, we always had a house full of people, dogs, crazy-huge plants, workmen fixing ceiling leaks, and utter chaos! It was marvelous! Not marvelous was our Ball-murr accent, which took years of practice to leave behind (“oin” = “on”; “woir-ter” = “water”; “crowns” = “crayons”; “UMM-brella” = “umbrella”; “AM-BUE-LANCE” = “ambulance” – you get the idea!)
2. I met my husband when we were both working for Mario Cuomo at the World Trade Center in the 1980’s. We have three grown kids who all now live in NYC. Our two labs, Lola and Major – our four-legged kids – keep us busy and most of the time, laughing.
3. Being a parent has been the most humbling experience of my life. Kids have a knack for telling you who you are (and aren’t!). I am eternally grateful to my patient and beautiful kids for “growing” me into a better person.
4. I spent my junior year of college in Paris and for half of that year, I lived with a French family who had three boys; I became their only daughter. I would do the youngest brother’s chores and he would “help” me with my French grammar homework. Needless to say, my grammar is still shabby. My French mother once told me that I had “the vocabulary of a college student and the grammar of a second grader.” That about sums it up. But nearly 40 years later (!), we are still close. I visited them this past August, and my own daughters stayed with them in October! My French father just turned 90 and we face-timed just before his birthday. It just goes to show you: you never know what bonds you’ll forge and where your adventures might take you in life!!
5. I love to be outside and especially in the water. Swimming is the best medicine I’ve ever found. It soothes the soul, clears the mind and inspires creativity. I plan most of my classes, class activities and projects while underwater! Go figure!
6. Being with people, living in community, fuels me. I don’t really need much alone time. I think that is one of the reasons working on a college campus is such a great fit for me.
7. Teaching at Siena has been my dream job. I am so lucky to get to do what I love to do every single day – engaging with and learning from vibrant students and colleagues, challenging students to think critically, providing them with opportunities to learn experientially and watching them find their passions….
8. Having the opportunity to expose students to Restorative Justice, through the new Criminal Justice/Restorative Justice major has been so exciting! I am hoping eventually to create a Restorative Justice Center at Siena – a space where folks can come to resolve interpersonal and community-based conflicts, that would be available to the Siena community and beyond.
9. I have won bubblegum-blowing contests, was on my high school gymnastics team, and can pick a fantastic watermelon out of a heap. I would be lying if I didn’t admit to thinking about sheet cake (white with LOTS of frosting), even just fleetingly, every day. I have zero sense of direction (I tell my husband I married him for HIS sense of direction) and am fairly technologically challenged. I have NEVER been called “graceful”, but hey, I’m over it.
10. I had a saying tacked to my bulletin board in college that “travel broadens the mind” and I think it really does! I love to travel and have been to a number of countries in Africa and Europe, as well as to the Greek islands. I have to say though, NYC is still one of my very favorite cities. I have so many more places on my list to explore … someday….
. 
