About Me
As a Lakeland native, Florida Southern College has been a part of my life as long as I can recall. I remember asking my dad to drive around the lake “one more time” so I could see the snowman on top of the planetarium when I was little. Heck, I remember going to the planetarium when it was in operation (the first time). My best friend’s dad was a dean here on campus, so I spent hours walking to his office to visit, trick-or-treating at Halloween, caroling at Christmas, and watching movies at the old bandshell. I got my first scar falling down the big hill by the softball fields. (Yes, I’ve always been graceful.) I was a member of the second full four-year graduating class of Harrison School for the Arts just up the road, back when the campus was so small that our music classes were held right here at FSC. When it was time for college, I joked that I had already attended Florida Southern for high school, so I opted to go elsewhere.
After college, I came home, got married, and moved to Indiana, where I spent 5 years working at Purdue University. And so began my career in higher education. I moved back home when my late husband passed away and almost immediately started looking for a job at FSC. It took me a few years (and some career choices I never would have predicted), but I finally started working at Florida Southern in 2010. Since then, I have held 6 positions and occupied 12 offices! Now residing in PS 138 serving as Associate Director of Career Services for Health Professions, I’m actually in my very first position in higher education where my primary role is working with undergraduate students. I’m excited about the opportunity to take what I have learned at the graduate level and use that knowledge to help our students.
I have been married to my husband, Tom, since 2006, and we have a “yours, mine, and ours” set of boys. TJ is a 2023 FSC grad and out on his own. Jonathan and Tyler are still home with us, and our crazy cats and dogs keep us on our toes. I offer fair warning that a visit to (or maybe even past) my office may result in hearing more Broadway than you ever intended, but I probably won’t apologize for it unless you actually have to hear me singing.
Education
M.S. Industrial & Organizational Psychology, Florida Southern College, 2023
B.A. Politics, Randolph Macon Woman’s College, 1998