Hi! I’m originally from Cleveland, Ohio—a city famous for some pretty wild nicknames like “the mistake on the lake” and “the only city whose river caught fire.” I started my academic journey at Kent State University, then spent a few years in Milwaukee before making my way down to Houston. There, I earned my Bachelor's in English and Journalism (with a teaching certification) from the University of Houston. I spent several years teaching high school journalism and photography, advising yearbook and newspaper teams until 1982, when I moved to Memphis. I earned my Master’s in Personnel from the University of Memphis and later, in 2005, completed my doctorate in Leadership and Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix. For over a decade, I was the hospital administrator at Germantown Parkway Animal Hospital in Cordova, Tennessee—a proud AAHA-certified, four-vet practice with a fantastic team of 25 + staff members. We even snagged the Veterinary Practice of Excellence award in 1998 from Veterinary Economics. In 2005, I started teaching as an adjunct at SPC. A year later, I relocated to Florida for a full-time faculty role as lead instructor for the Management track in the Veterinary Nursing program. In 2018, I stepped into the role of Associate Dean for the College of Veterinary Nursing, which was incredibly rewarding. But life is about balance and following your passions—I have a real love for teaching and mentoring practice managers—so I chose to step back into a full-time faculty role in the BAS program. Now, I’m the faculty in charge there, so please feel free to reach out anytime if you have questions or just want to chat.