A few themes drive me professionally: 

• Purpose-driven work is a motivator. 
• Creativity, change, and collaboration are essential. 
• Difference in personality, perspective, and place provides value. 

The application of my communication skills, strong policy and planning background, and personal values in a role at Environmental Initiative offer a professional continuation of a conversation I had with hiking companions over a beer on a remote segment of the Great Wall in China. How do we balance human needs, the health of the environment, and economic strength in a global economy with heterogenous political structures? How do we balance the reality that we are wearing outdoor clothing manufactured in the very country where we sit while lamenting the air, water, and soil pollution surrounding us? 

My professional focus lies at the intersection of the natural, built, and human environments where strong connections bridge gaps. This focus was informed by early childhood exposure to service and civic engagement as my parents worked with others organizing, planning, and acting for human rights. 

I have an ability to see relationships and imagine paths which ultimately lead to an outcome. From a communications perspective, this allows me to create messaging that is not always clear to those who are deeply involved in their program areas. From a plan to a tweet, I love it all. 

I believe my legacy is present in my colleagues, sons, and young women I nurture and mentor through work, family, and Girl Scouting. All of them independent people initially guided by me in a specific role, eventually becoming sources of witness, wisdom, and our collective future for me and others. 

“If people knew the stories of their lives, how many would elect to live them?” ~Cormac McCarthy