My Beginning
I'm a native of Phoenix, Arizona and grew up the youngest of three in an irreverent, arts-oriented family. If there is such a thing as reincarnation, I was surely a Victoria Englishwoman in a former life. I love to laugh and have - in my opinion - a wry sense of humor; among my many talents not readily obvious to coworkers and acquaintances is my uncanny ability to “sing” like a chicken.


My Marriage
While majoring in Theatre at an Arizona university, I realized I didn't have the intestinal fortitude required to pursue acting as a career. But when one door shuts, another one opens, and while still in college I also discovered L-O-V-E in the form of my jazz history instructor. I developed quite a crush on the young lecturer and, throwing caution to the wind, wrote him a love note on a test paper. ("By the way, Mike, I have a crush on you. Do I have a chance?")

Intrigued and not a little frightened, the unattached instructor was curious about the student who'd so brashly declared herself, and he called my name after his lecture one day. The rest is, as they say, history . . . We've been together ever since.


My Career
I took a brief employment break in 1991, after nearly a decade as a top administrator with the preeminent builder of retirement communities. That was a wonderful stint - several stints, in fact, as I held various positions - not only because of the high caliber people with whom I worked, but because of how high I learned to set my standards. I then worked for a number of years in a large property management firm where I learned a lot and won some awards, yet ultimately grew to feel discouraged at my inability to effect true change within the organization. I began working for one of that firm's rival (and better) property management companies in 2006. I loved it but left in early 2009 not only because my boss had resigned two months prior, but because the company's financial struggles had impaired the management team's judgment.

I have had my share of supportive as well as tyrannical supervisors over the years, and have experienced a number of . . . interesting job interviews. Highlights of the latter include one sports franchise CEO who asked me, "Can you be a bitch? I need someone who can be a bitch". Then there was the millionaire developer who wanted an "office wife" who would wash his car and shuttle his dog to the groomer, and another firm where the interviewer told me, "The boss is an S.O.B. but we love him." One unethical recruiter edited my résumé to better please the client (and secure a fat commission), and yet another described the boss at hand as "rude and condescending", then seemed mystified when I declined the job offer. Ah, yes . . . good times, good times.

No typical administrative working stiff, I hone any project I touch - visually as well as substantively - to beautiful, pristine perfection. I have earned the right, in other words, to be wear the mantle of Administrative Diva.

Traveling the peaks and valleys of my career path, I tirelessly behave like the Class Act I am, maintain grace under pressure and always - ALWAYS - keep a sense of humor. Secure in the knowledge that the work I produce, whatever the endeavor, is the highest possible quality, I nevertheless remain unsure about what I want to be when I grow up.

My Essence
I enjoy writing, cooking and gardening; I love music and my taste runs the gamut from Beatles, Mozart and Ella Fitzgerald, to Antonio Carlos Jobim, Aerosmith, Andy Williams, Queen and Ozzy Osbourne. I adore Earth Wind and Fire and any music with even a hint of funk (Rick James was a God) to it. I've tried mastering the bongos as well as the concertina but, alas, had to give up a career on the latter when a button got stuck, and I can play one song on piano. I'm a whiz at Andy Griffith Show and Dick Van Dyke Show trivia (if I do say so myself), I love M*A*S*H, and my favorite Twilight Zone episodes include "A Stop at Willoughby" and "Walking Distance", because of Serling's achingly wistful writing. Thanks to my mom and my Auntie Em, I can bake a mean rum cake, and I count toast among my favorite foods.

The best expression that describes me is, I think, "still waters run deep," because I'm a different person once you get to know me. Although a rather loaded statement, what that means, basically, is I am focused, professional and serious at the office, and a rather silly free spirit on my own time. (I mean, I do sing like a chicken after all!) I respect the opinions of others but tend to keep mine to myself; I support our troops but not war; censorship singes my proverbial drawers but I am by no means an anarchist; I don't suffer fools gladly; I try to steer clear of false friends, and I detest ego, especially when the goods are missing to back it up. I have great expectations of others, believe in a Higher Power, and I think usage of the hackneyed words "awesome" and "dude" by any adult over the age of 18 should be strictly prohibited. If you choose to pass judgment and label me as "quiet" after an initial meeting with me, you'd be wrong: my outwardly calm exterior belies the fire and sense of humor within.

And if you underestimate my commitment to my principles, you'd be even wrong-er.


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