Occupation: I am the operations director at the Danbury Animal Welfare Society, more commonly known as DAWS. I have been here about a year and a half. I first came to DAWS looking for a dog. My husband and I came here and looked at several dogs, and we were very impressed by the organization. I started volunteering as a dog walker,  and I think the second night I was here I learned about the open position. Very shortly thereafter I started working for DAWS full-time. The timing was awesome. Before that, I had retired after about 25 years in management consulting and didn't stay retired very long.

Family: My husband Steve and I have been married 32 years. I have a brother and two nieces who live in Erie, Penn., and my parents live in Ohio.

Pets: We have a rescue dog named Chevy. She is a shepherd/boarder collie mix. We got her in Texas, and she won our hearts over when we were in the little meeting area. She came over and put her paw on our knee. We have had her about eight and a half years. She'll be 10 on the Fourth of July. My husband works for General Motors, so we named her after Chevrolet.

How long have you lived in Newtown? Just about two years. We moved here in August 2014.

What do you like to do in your free time? My husband and I love to golf. I love to read. I succumb to temptation and play computer games like solitaire. I cross stitch. I don't like to just sit and watch TV; I have to be doing something while I am watching.

What is your favorite genre of music? Country western. We lived in Dallas for a little while, and I got engrained in the country music. I love Brad Paisley and Shania Twain.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? I love Hawaii; my husband and I have been there several times. For a relaxing vacation, that is probably my favorite place. The best trip I would have to say was Ireland and Scotland. We did that for our 25 anniversary. That was a fabulous trip. We are going on a cruise in August. We leave for Rome and will cruise around the Mediterranean.

What is the best thing about Newtown? One of the things that really impressed us even before we moved in was all the local businesses. We went into the hardware store, and we never had a well before, and the guy there spent so much time with us explaining everything. Every single place we went in everyone was so friendly, and it has been that way the whole two years we have been here.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My dad. He is very patient and caring about his children and others. He gives back with the Rotary and with his church. My parents have been the role models for marriage and just celebrated 63 years.

If you could spend the day with anyone, who would you choose? I was not able to know either one of my grandfathers because they passed before I was born. They were both very interesting men, from what I hear. So, I would have loved to spend some time with them to sit down and talk and learn about their life.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? My husband and I indulge in Ferris's ice cream. It has become a staple in our house. We thought we had some pretty great ice cream stores in the past, but none of them compare with Ferris's. I love the Mocha Mayhem and the cinnamon flavor in the fall.