Occupation: I have been the director of Newtown Youth Services for 12 years. I have a bachelor’s degree in French and Education from Roanoke College in Virginia and a master’s degree from Southern Connecticut State University in marriage and family therapy. I’m also a licensed substance abuse counselor.

How Long in Newtown: I am a lifelong resident of Newtown. I went through all the schools.

Biggest Change Seen in Town: The amount of houses. It’s just amazing to me. There are “billions” of houses. When I was growing up here, our nearest neighbor used to be half a mile away. There were 600 kids in the whole high school when I graduated. Also, the amount of traffic is unbelieveable. However, Newtown still retains its rural qualities, with lots of horses and bike riders.

Family: My husband, Mark, and I have been married for seven years. I met my husband in first grade at Hawley School. We went to school with most of our friends. I have two children, Cory, 21, who is working and going to college parttime, and Erin, 17, a senior at Newtown High School.

Pets:  We have two cats, Roger (he’s the hospitable cat, he goes to everyone’s house in the neighborhood), and Grace, who is shyer.

Hobbies: I don’t have a lot of time for hobbies. I have cross stitch projects that are ongoing. I’ll be 85 years old and still working on them. I would love to travel more. I like learning new things.

Favorite Books and Authors: I like to read. I enjoyed Pat Conroy’s Beach Music and The Divine Secrets of the Yaya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells, which is about relationships among friends and mothers. It was funny and poignant.

Favorite TV Show: From April to October it’s baseball. I’m a big Yankees fan. I have Yankees stuff all over the house. In my mother’s family there were big baseball fans. I had a great-uncle who was a scout for the Yankees. I also like to watch The Practice, Seventh Heaven and The Antiques Road Show.

 

Organizations: I am a member of the board of directors of  the CT Youth Services Assoc. and the local board of Church Women United.

Favorite Vacation Spot: I love to travel and have loved everywhere I’ve been. I love Europe. We often go to Virginia. It’s very peaceful there. It’s soothing to see the Blue Ridge Mountains in the distance. I love Williamsburg and have been to many of the Civil War battlefields. We also went out west and met friends in Arizona. We drove for miles and didn’t see anything, no buildings, just scenery. It was mind boggling, it was so big.

Personal Philosophy: As adults, we must accept responsibility for ourselves and teach our children to do the same. We should revel in the good things that happen in our lives every day and when terrible things happen, we need to deal with them appropriately, not use them as excuses; develop a sense of humor and get going with living. We also need to be courteous and friendly to everyone we meet.