I was born and raised in Massachusetts, went to college outside of Philadelphia, and headed west when I went to Berkeley for graduate school. After receiving my PhD in Organic Chemistry, my husband and I were lucky enough to spend some time traveling in Latin America before landing in Solana Beach in 2011. We didn’t realize when we arrived that it would become our forever home, but now we can’t imagine living anywhere else. Our daughter attends Skyline elementary, our tiny poodle has many admirers, and our friends and neighbors are such an important part of our lives.  I am currently a Lead Engineer at a San Diego-based software development company.  I am also an active volunteer with the San Diego Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, where I am co-lead of the Beach Preservation Committee. This committee keeps tabs on issues that negatively affect the future of our natural coastline. We fight to ensure access to the beach, by first making sure there is a beach to protect.