Occupation: I am a full-time mom. I also am a part-time marketing professor and adjunct faculty member for the Fairleigh-Dickinson University, New Jersey, corporate MBA programs. I earned a bachelors of arts degree in communications at the University of Connecticut, and a master of arts degree in advertising at Northwestern in Chicago, Ill. I loved that city but it was a little cold.

Before having children, I worked as director of marketing research for Pepperidge Farm in Monroe.

When my first child, Brian, was born in 1985, I retired to become a part-time freelance marketing consultant, and that evolved into teaching.

How Long in Newtown: I grew up in New Jersey but moved to Connecticut in 1978. We came to Newtown in September 1991.

Biggest Change You Have Seen in Town: I love all the new and established delis around town. I recommend the Newtown Deli on Route 25, Misty Vale on Route 34 that caters to the high school crowd, and, of course, the General Store on Main Street. That’s been around for awhile.

Family: My husband Kim is a home builder here in town. Our son Brian is a senior at Newtown High School. He’s off to Georgia Tech to study computer science this fall, and all I can say is, while I love the school, I was glad the UConn Huskies won the crown. We were so excited in our house about the men’s and women’s basketball teams –– especially since Kim and I both graduated from UConn. Our daughter Katherine is a junior at The Gunnery in Washington.

Pets: Murphy is our 10-year-old golden retriever, our buddy.   

Hobbies: A lot of what I do are family hobbies like hiking, skiing, travel, and going to New York City to see shows and museums. I love to read and sew, and make costumes for school plays. I’ve made curtains for the house –– I used to do that more when the children were young and went to bed early. I was publicity director for Newtown High’s production of Les Miserables and my daughter Katherine also helped with the production. It was a wonderful experience. I love volunteering in regional theater in summer and winter. Connections is a summer theater group that began in 1999, and has had its grant renewed each year.

Favorite Books and Authors: I’ve always loved J.R.R. Tolkien and I read The Lord Of The Rings fresh out of college. It’s a real classic and I think it was the inspiration for all the Star Wars series and other things that came after. I liked the movie series a lot I think they did a fantastic job telling the story. As for movies, we don’t go to many but on a snowy day we like to light a fire and put on a James Bond movie just for fun.

Favorite TV Show: I don’t watch much TV either, but I never miss West Wing.

Organizations: As a family, we’ve done things with the Newtown Rotary Club since my husband is a member. We also attend the local synagogue, Adath Israel, and we support its youth group.

Personal Philosophy: I try to stay focused on the simple things in life and be a part of solutions rather than debates.