I was born in Charlottesville, and my family has called Virginia home since before it was the Commonwealth. Along with that sense of place came a steady sense of duty. Someone in my family has worn the uniform in every era since our country began. I spent most of my childhood at West Point — a Virginia transplant and a temporary New Yorker — and what truly rooted me was Duty, Honor, and Country. Those three words were the quiet backdrop of my childhood. I didn’t see it at the time, but now I know how much they shape how I view service and make decisions. They remind me that showing up when it’s hard, doing what’s right, and putting country above quick wins are what matter most.

After college, no one handed me a plan — I made one. I learned how to learn fast: first in the defense industry, then in trade publications across several fields, and then at the University of Texas at Austin, where I earned my MBA. From there, I joined Andersen Consulting, then moved to the Franklin Mint, where I negotiated licensing deals that blended my business and art history backgrounds. Teaching negotiation for the American Management Association opened the door to what became my life’s work: helping other people do theirs better.

For more than twenty-five years, I have run a training firm trusted by Fortune 500 companies, local businesses, hospitals, schools, manufacturers, and government agencies. We don’t deliver theory for theory’s sake. We deliver practical tools people can use the next day — and we do it by listening closely, learning each client’s work, and making sure what’s good can get better. People like to say you work for yourself when you own a business. You don’t. You work for every customer who calls you — and you keep working until it’s right. That’s how I see constituent service, too.

My husband and I have always believed you don’t stand by when your community needs hands and feet — you show up and do what needs doing. Over the years, I’ve done plenty of that. The list isn’t tidy because real service never is: I’ve served on the boards of a regional bank, the Red Cross, and several scholarship, environmental, and community foundations. I’ve held national leadership roles with the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, served as president of my local garden club, and helped a county fair board build an off-season signature event that continues to grow and earn steady income. I’ve served on my church vestry, run Vacation Bible School, taught Sunday School, led a Girl Scout troop, and pitched in with Cub Scouts when extra help was needed. That’s just normal for me. And if you ask around, people will tell you I’ve always had more than enough energy to keep showing up.