Background
My Family
My parents, my sister Adrienne and I have an incredibly close bond. We often spend long periods of time together, away from the distractions of television, computers, and day-to-day commitments. It is not uncommon for us to drown out anyone within earshot with raucous laughter and spirited teasing.
After retirement, my parents moved back to their hometown of San Antonio, Texas and my sister settled west in Denver, Colorado with a wonderful job and to be near the mountains she loves.
Education
After graduating from Hathaway Brown School in Cleveland, Ohio I attended college at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. At W&L I majored in philosophy while also graduating with concentrations in Political Science, Russian Studies and Buddhist Studies. Committed to furthering my education, I obtained an interdisciplinary Master’s degree in Liberal Studies at North Carolina State University. Philosophy had become my passion over the years and I wanted the opportunity to teach and work with college students. 
To that end, I completed my academic work at SUNY-Binghamton in 2001 with a Ph.D. in Philosophy, specializing in social and political philosophy.
Professional Work
I currently work for Pennsylvania Treasurer Rob McCord as the Policy Director and as the Director of the Women & Money Project, a statewide initiative that focuses on increasing economic security for women throughout the Commonwealth.My job at Treasury is a perfect blend of the work I have accomplished in the area: policy, public service, and a commitment to women’s well being.
After completing my graduate degree in 2001, I accepted a position at The University of Scranton as director of the Jane Kopas Women’s Center while also maintaining teaching responsibilities in the departments of philosophy, sociology, and Women’s Studies. Working closely with students and the university community was incredibly fulfilling and rewarding. Having been so involved with the Scranton area in my capacity at the University, I was eager to give back through public service.
I left higher education to work for the Lackawanna County Commissioners as the Chief of Staff. Managing the day-to-day operations of a large and diverse county government consisting of approximately 60 departments, 1500 employees, and a $100 million budget was one of the best experiences of my professional career.
Community Service
- President, Board of Directors, Pages & Places
- Vice President, Board of Directors, Women’s Resource Center of Lackawanna and Susquehanna Counties
- Vice President, Board of Directors, Nay Aug Park Conservancy
- Circle 200
Previous Board Appointments
- Board of Directors, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne Counties
- President, League of Women Voters of Lackawanna County, Scranton, PA
- Board of Advisors, Joint Urban Studies Center, Wilkes-Barre, PA
- Board of Directors, Scranton Tomorrow
- Committee Member, Main Street Scranton
- Committee Member, Elm Street Project
Awards
- Top 25 Women in Business, Northeast Business Journal, 2010.
- Athena Award, Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, 2009.
- 30th Anniversary Award, Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 2006.
- Provost’s Award for Excellence in Teaching, The University of Scranton, 2004.
- Sharon Craig Award, Women’s Resource Center of Lackawanna County, 2003.
Projects & Programs: My Work with Women
The Women’s Narrative Project
In 2002, I was fortunate to receive grant funding for The Women’s Narrative Project. Impressed by the coal mining history in the region, I noticed a lack of attention to the role of women in the labor movement in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The result was a play that focused on the lives of six (real) women who contributed to the advancement of working women in this region.
Women’s Narrative Project Brochure
Women’s Narrative Project featured in the Times Leader
P.A.C.T. Program
A good portion of 2005 was spent developing the P.A.C.T. Program, (Promoting Awareness of the College Transition). Like most college campuses throughout the U.S., incidences of sexual assault tend to increase during the “Red Zone,” the first three months of women’s freshman year. Finding themselves in a new environment with new people, women are often more vulnerable to assault. The PACT Program, a curriculum and manual for students transitioning to college, was an effort to stem that tide. University of Scranton students presented this information to high school seniors throughout the county and educated them about the dangers of sexual assault and relationship violence during their college careers. PACT has now been adopted as a statewide training model for the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape.
Women, Money, and Opportunity Program
In my most recent job at Pennsylvania Treasury, I organized several day-long seminars for women business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the Commonwealth. These events also gave us the occasion to announce Treasury’s new micro-lending program, a $10 million capital investment to fund microloans administered by Community Development Financial Institutions. Hosted in conjunction with Women Impacting Public Policy, attendees navigated business planning, an array of funding sources, ideas for innovation, and access to federal and state contracting processes.
Projects & Programs: My Work in the Community
S.A.G.E.
Admittedly an ambitious undertaking, 2005 marked the establishment of S.A.G.E. (Scranton Area Garden Exchange). Developed on an abandoned lot owned by The University of Scranton, I worked with students to create an organic community garden. After collaborating with United Neighborhood Centers on several programs, we learned that while food banks and soup kitchens are a vital source of assistance for the hungry in our area, they often lack fresh produce and rely on canned or dry goods. SAGE grew (literally) out of this need and provided organic produce harvested for area food banks and soup kitchens.
Pages & Places Book Festival
The accomplishment and project closest to my heart is the Pages & Places Book Festival. I founded the festival in 2009. I co-direct it with my friend Bill Black and the festival is run by an incredibly talented team of volunteers. Inspired by the success of events like the Jazz Festival, First Friday, and La Festa, I knew Scranton was ripe for a literary arts festival. Pages & Places hosts panelists from all over the world to discuss their work. Each panel and workshop is held in some of the city’s most impressive venues—an integration of literature and architecture that distinguishes Pages & Places from any other book festival in the country. The concurrent Book Expo on Courthouse Square features a Kids Fest, live author readings, tours, and book signings, making for a full day of all things “bookish.”