I grew up in the Fingerlakes area of New York, and graduated from Union Springs Central High School. I received my BA in German from SUNY Oswego in 1987, and my MS in TESOL, Education from SUNY Albany in 1991. I have been employed as an ESL teacher at Liberty since 1992.

During college I spent a year studying abroad at the University of Wurzburg in Germany. After graduating from college I spent two years working as an English Language Teaching Assistant through the Fulbright Program in a small town near Vienna, Austria. In addition, I spent a fourth year working as the Director of the Study Abroad Program through SUNY Albany at the University of Wurzburg in Germany. During my years of living abroad, I enjoyed traveling through Eastern and Western Europe, as well as the Soviet Union and Northern Africa. I speak German and Spanish.

I reside in Hurleyville with my husband and 3 children. In my free time I enjoy gardening, swimming, traveling and watching foreign films.