Business & Personal Related Questions:
Where were you born, education/degrees or associations/board seats? I was born in Milwaukee and moved to Dundee Wisconsin after my father passed away just 4 days after my first birthday. My mom and I moved in with her parents until she remarried when I was 7. I received my undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Cardinal Stritch in Milwaukee and will graduate with an MBA from Concordia University with a concentration in Strategic Communications and Public Relations this May. I am currently the Vice President of our Mequon Thiensville Sunrise Rotary club and looking forward to next year as our President Elect.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Believe it or not I wanted to be a Nun when I grew up. I went to Catholic grade school and some of the Nuns were super cool (try to restrain yourselves). Then there was Sally Field as the “Flying Nun” – I mean really how could I resist? I’ve been teaching fitness classes, including Spinning, for the last 20+ years and when I share that little pearl in class it’s hard for the participants to remain seated on their Spin bikes. Currently I am working at Concordia University as a Director of Donor Relations, which is basically a Major Gifts Officer – so I guess I landed relatively close to my “dream job”.
Family: I’m married to my soulmate – it took me the second time around to find him and we have 8 children between us ranging from the youngest at 19 to the oldest who will be 28 in May and getting married to his sweetheart on July 2 this summer. We have 3 sons and 5 daughters, 3 of which are still in college; one in West Virginia – she’s our Mountaneer, one in LaCrosse – he’s our Eagle, and our youngest daughter is our freshmen Badger at Wisconsin. Brian’s twins both went to Pharmacy school, one to Madison and the other to North Carolina then Vanderbilt. My oldest son went to Loyola and actually went to Indianapolis to watch his Alma Mater’s crushing defeat at the hands of Oregon State. Brian’s oldest daughter was a Hawkeye and has just recently moved to South Carolina with a job promotion. Last but not least is my middle son who works for Brian at his American Family agency in Brown Deer. Thankfully all four of our parents are still with us and in mostly good health and great spirits.
Interests/hobbies/last book read/favorite movie/what’s playing in on your car’s stereo/pastimes: We are a very active family and I’ve taught fitness classes for a long time. I love to teach Yoga, Pilates, Spinning and I used to teach Body Pump. Brian and I love to golf and get out as much as we possibly can. We are very involved in our church as well and try to get out to do outreach whenever we can – this hasn’t been very easy during Covid, but hopefully we will have more opportunities as time goes on. We enjoy traveling together and I absolutely LOVE to cook and entertain our family and friends. We enjoy going to see movies (especially when it was $5 Tuesday at Marcus here in Mequon.) Hopefully as the Covid concerns continue to turn to a more positive light, we’ll be able to enjoy the very social lifestyle we once took for granted. Thank goodness for GOLF!
Biggest career accomplishment/highlight to date, or what do you like best about your job? I would have to say achieving my MBA. It has been something I’ve always wanted to accomplish but the timing was never right. Working here at Concordia afforded me the financial ability to attain this long standing desire. It’s been a really long 2 years and not for the faint of heart while one is also working full time at a pretty stressful job, maintaining a household and keeping track of (at the time) five others in various colleges around the country. I’m really proud of myself that I stuck it out and no one got hurt in the process….
Your favorite vacation? My favorite vacation used to be anywhere I went where there was a beach and an ocean – then we went to Ireland. What a beautiful GREEN country with some of the most friendly and accommodating souls I’ve ever met. The beer is fantastic – although I’ve never been to Germany – and the food is always “piping hot”, just ask anyone who has ever been there it’s truly amazing. There’s music everywhere, at least in Dublin, and the hikes and scenery are like something out of a movie. It’s really hard to choose a “favorite”, we love seeing new things and meeting new people pretty much wherever we go it becomes our favorite – right now that would be anywhere in Arizona.
Rotary Related Questions:
What was your first experience or awareness of Rotary? My husband has been involved with North Shore Rotary for 25+ years and served twice as their president. I’ve attended many events and social outreach as well as fundraisers with him. My experience has always been of people in this group being beyond socially conscious and always looking for ways to better their community and their world. When the invitation came from Sunrise, it was pretty much a no-brainer. I was so honored to receive the “Rookie of the Year” award my first year and be nominated as the Vice President. I’m both excited and humbled by my peers. I have such respect and gratitude to be a part of this club and really looking forward to what we’ll be able to accomplish in the upcoming years.