MY STORY

I believe that effective communication is the cornerstone to empathy. Sensory mindfulness - engaging all senses to enhance understanding of self and others – is the tool to get us there. As an award-winning speaker, I have carried my message to audiences in South Korea, the Netherlands, Washington DC and across the U.S., captivating many with stories on the joy of blindness and the power of sensory mindfulness. I continually mold my message and envision new ways to strengthen our understanding of the world and each other through in-depth training workshops on active listening. 

 

I am recognized in the Bethesda Magazine’s September 2024 edition as one of the “Women Who Inspire,” and a “People’s Choice” Award winner by Everlaw Summit ’23 attendees. The University of Kansas Alumni Magazine in its February 2024 feature article has dubbed me the “translator,” someone able to bridge people. Snapshots of my life journey are also spotlighted in the Washington Lawyer Magazine and Law-360 New Jersey Pulse. I have appeared on Steve Adubato’s NJ-PBS “Think Tank” on guide dog access, KKFI radio’s “Urban Connection” with Donna Wolfe educating people on the Seeing Eye, Inc. and life as a guide dog user, and with Eksteen de Wall’s podcast “Exponential Leadership” sharing experiences on discrimination, leadership and success.

 

My commitment to community service is ongoing and broad-based, including among others, serving 14 years on the Board of Trustees at the Seeing Eye, Inc. – guide dog school - with two years as Board Chair.  Professionally drawn to the law, my second career spans over 25 years in federal, state and advocacy service. Formerly an attorney with the Federal Communications Commission, I served as Special Counsel in the Office of Workplace Diversity, mediating employee disputes, as well as enforcing consumer-related rules on telecom carrier behavior and telecom barriers affecting Tribal communities. As a manager on the Presidential Task Force on Employment of Adults with Disabilities, I directed increased employment opportunity discussions among EEOC and FCC executive cabinet members and staff to report to the President. With an undergraduate focus on piano performance and French, I dedicated my early career to early childhood education in the Boston area and Kansas City, emphasizing music and foreign language to children from various socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds, including children who are blind.

 

In my spare time, I enjoy tossing the ball around with my guide dog, Summer.

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