Education: BA, Psychology, Tufts University, 1978 (phi beta kappa, summa cum laude); MALD, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy 1982
Current Occupation: Retired
Previous Occupations: Interim CEO, Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Membership, American Council for Voluntary International Action (InterAction, Washington, D.C.); Director of Corporate and Institutional Relations and Secretary to the Board of Directors, Overseas Development Council (ODC, Washington, D.C.); Acting Director and Interim-Director, Washington D.C. Office of International Business (Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly Administration); Group Project Coordinator, Office of International Visitors, U.S. Information Agency, U.S. Department of State
Tufts-affiliated Activities: Alumnus: member, Reunion Committees (Tufts Class of 1978 and Fletcher Class of 1982-ongoing); Class Agent (Fletcher Class of 1982-ongoing); Alumni Prospective Student Interviewer (2011-2013)
Other Professional / Volunteer Affiliations and Activities: Trustee, Bokamoso Youth Foundation (2019-present); Advisory Board, Horizons Greater Washington (2018-present); Advisory Board, Social Accountability International (2019-present); Chair, Board of Directors, Social Accountability Accreditation Services (2017-2019); Vice-Chair, Social Accountability Accreditation Services (2015-2017); Trustee, Social Accountability Accreditation Services (2009-2015); Trustee, United Nations Association of the National Capital Area (2006-2012); Selection Committee, Washington Post Award for Excellence in Non-profit Management (2005-2011); Vice President, Parent Association. St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, (2017-present); At-Large member, Parent Association, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School (2011-2013); Parent Association, Norwood School (2010-2012); Consultant, InterAction, Child Sponsorship Accreditation Project (2007-2009); Board President, Spanish Education Development Center (1996-2006/Trustee 1989-2006); Ward One Coordinator, Mayoral Campaign of Sharon Pratt Kelly (1989-1990); Director, Transition Committee on International Trade for the District of Columbia, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly (1990)
Candidate Statement: Over the past many years, I have increased my involvement as an Alumnus of both Tufts and Fletcher. More specifically, I have served as a class agent for The Fletcher School (class of 1982), as well as a member of my Fletcher class reunion committee. I interviewed prospective student applicants to Tufts (2011-2013) and serve on the Tufts Class of 1978 Reunion Committee. I come from a legacy family dating back to 1939, with several family members counted among Tufts’ first-generation alumni.
As I consider the many ways that members of the Tufts Alumni Council can impact the school in positive ways, I am particularly interested in supporting the university’s important, ongoing work on diversity and inclusion, which spans across race, gender and socio-economics. Tufts has launched new programs to both recruit and support first-generation students and to recruit more women in the sciences. My father, uncle and cousin were first-generation students at Tufts. My father became a chemical engineer. My uncle was a naval chaplain during WWII and went on to become a prominent Unitarian minister. My cousin became a professor at the Dental School. The first-generation program at Tufts is of great personal interest to me and one that I hope to become involved in strengthening, supporting and promoting.
With an annual price tag of now over $70,000, the middle-class student, as I was, is getting squeezed out; not disadvantaged enough to qualify for financial aid but not financially secure enough to afford a Tufts education. Many of my friends and classmates at Tufts majored in child studies, occupational therapy, social work, and education. They have each enjoyed very successful careers in their fields but could never have been able to support school loans and a student debt approaching $300,000. As a private college, Tufts is not alone in facing this challenge, but it does need to be addressed. Greater balance in tuition and increases in financial aid and in its endowment are the only ways that schools like Tufts can guaranty a truly socioeconomically, culturally, and intellectually diverse student body. As a class agent, I have volunteered to help increase alumni giving, and as a former development officer, I stand ready to offer my relevant experience and skills to the Alumni Council and to Tufts in support of efforts to raise the resources needed to enroll and retain diverse students at Tufts.
As for Fletcher, when it comes to diversity, it has always prided itself on having a large international student body. However, it still faces a challenge in recruiting diverse American students. If Fletcher is to remain relevant to the U.S. policy debate, it must train more American women and American students of color as well. Both Tufts and Fletcher must remain intentional about meeting their diversity and inclusion goals. I hope to support them in this effort.
As my resume indicates, I have spent the majority of my adult life working, both professionally and personally, on issues related to diversity, inclusion, and social justice. I have worked for federal and state government, worked on political campaigns, and have served in senior management positions and on several boards and committees, predominantly in the public and charitable sectors. Most share as their core mission a dedication to equity and social justice.
As a seasoned board and committee member, executive manager and experienced volunteer, I hope to offer these skills and life experiences to realizing the goals of the Alumni Council. I commit to work diligently with Council colleagues in support of Tufts' mission as an academic institution, and in its established, ongoing commitment to healthy student life, diversity, and inclusion.
