Occupation: I’m the executive director at Nunnawauk Meadows. I’ve been here since April of 2018, but I’ve been in nonprofit administration and management for over 30 years. I have two passions in my life: animals and working with seniors. I was the Senior Services Director and the Municipal Agent for the Town of Southbury, so I really feel that my path led me here.

Family: I live in Woodbury with my husband, Kevin. In May, it will be our 34th wedding anniversary, and to celebrate, we’re going to take a Mediterranean cruise. My son, David, and daughter-in-law, Heather, live in Watertown, and every other week, we take care of our granddaughter, Millie. She is the light of my life. She’ll be 3 years old in March. We had moved to Connecticut from Colorado to take care of my mother-in-law. I’ve lost four family members since 2015, including my older brothers, and the loss has given me an appreciation for living each day to its fullest potential.

Pets: We have two rescue dogs, Sandy and Duke; a cat, Cash, named after Johnny Cash because he’s all black; and we currently have two chickens, Trouble and FuzzyButt.

What do you like to do in your free time? I do a lot of reading in my free time. I also really enjoy cooking — and along with cooking comes eating, and I enjoy that as well. I love Italian and Mediterranean foods.

Do you have a favorite book or author? For fiction, my favorite author is John Grisham. Right now, my favorite book is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. The four agreements are how I try to live my life, and that is to be impeccable with your word, don’t take anything personally, don’t make assumptions, and always do your best.

What is your favorite travel destination? I was born and raised in Miami, so any place that is warm and that has a beach.

What is the best part about Newtown? Unequivocally, the caring people and the sense of community.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? All the people who I have served during my time working with nonprofits. I have met so many people who, for some reason or another, had to find their way to whichever nonprofit I was working for, and I learned so much from them as well as the boards of directors that I have worked with.

If you could spend the day with one person, who would you choose and why? How do you choose just one? I would rather have an hour with 24 people than one person for a day.

Who is your favorite musical artist? Joni Mitchell, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, and Carol King.

Do you have a favorite TV show? I like news shows like 20/20 and 60 Minutes. A comedy I really enjoy, that I’m sorry they’re going off the air, is Big Bang Theory.

What is your favorite movie? Madame X with John Forsythe.

What is your personal philosophy? I live my life by the story of the starfish, and that’s how I’ve approached my whole career. It’s that you can’t help everyone, but for the person you can help, it makes a huge difference.

What is your favorite quote? The Serenity Prayer, “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

What is something you cannot live without? Having an animal in my life. The longest I had been without a dog was 11 days. Radar was a rescue, and she passed away on December 9. Every time I came down the stairs, I was so lonely. On December 20, that’s when I adopted Sandy.

What is your proudest accomplishment? Raising David. I think my husband and I did a great job because he is a fabulous human being. I hate to take credit for that, but I’m very proud of my son and the man he has become.