I am a self taught artist specializing in oil pastels, charcoals and acrylic paint with a degree in International Studies (minors in Political Science and Psychology) and experience working in Entertainment, Commercial Real Estate and Finance. Born and raised as the daughter to an USAF Officer (now retired) and a Day Care Teacher, my early childhood was spent on military bases during the height of the Cold War. At a time when most children were taking field trips to the zoo, I was visiting missile silos on Vandenberg A.F.B. and watching evening launches of the Titan missile with burgundy colored smoke pouring onto the horizon. I would sit outside on our lawn as my chaise rattled and the earth shook below me, mesmerized by its power. Then I'd scramble back into my house in order to curl up on my father's lap and ask him, "What does all this mean?"
It was these childhood experiences that shaped my interest in Global Affairs, Politics and most of all my love and unwavering devotion of Democracy and Freedom. Later I would go on to earn my B.A. in International Studies, spending my college years engrossed in the facinating history, politics, and culture of not only the world, but in particular, the political history and dominate language of the MENA Region and its people. Blessed to have traveled and done business in so many places, I have witnessed first-hand the importance of diplomacy, global cultural understanding and necessity of fostering communication. Art is one of the longest standing cross-cultural symbols of freedom as it relates to the freedom of expression, and vehicle for storytelling & preservation of beauty, philosophy and thought.
Currently working in Finance (International Real Estate Finance and Debt Restructuring), I maintain an active and well rounded lifestyle, although my passions are art, travel and Global Affairs
Philanthropy- US Veterans Auxiliary, Ending/Raising Awareness for Human Trafficking, International Red Cross, American Cancer Society, UNICEF, TriBeCa Film Institute, Seeds of Peace, Suicide Prevention, AIDS Awareness, Operation Backpack/Volunteers of America, Breast & Ovarian Cancer Research
Awards- Miss Ohio USA 2002 (Miss Universe Organization); Survivor Palau; State of Ohio Senate Award of Recognition
Languages- English, Modern Standard Arabic, Basic French
Travel- United States, Canada, Mexico, UAE, Thailand, Indonesia, UK, Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy, Austria, Aruba, Turks & Caicos, Palau, Guam, and Australia
