About me

I was born in Torrington, Connecticut back when it was a thriving town full of historic architecture and family-owned businesses. According to my first grade report card, I was a social butterfly (still am!). My love of art and music began immediately. I could expertly belt out Close to You by The Carpenters and had the lyrics to every song on Goodbye Yellow Brick Road memorized by age five.

I went to two elementary schools, three high schools, and three colleges. During these 20 years I moved over 12 times and while it wasn't ideal, these experiences gave me the ability to read a room, adjust and acclimate. My childhood activities were gymnastics, swimming, and horseback riding. My first job was at Glastonbury Bank & Trust. I was hired to work in the financial services department and was ultimately responsible for managing the bank's cash position (at 18 years old). While I was acquiring higher education, I worked for the Connecticut Department of Education, administering a municipal bond funded loan program called FELP.

I moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and went to work for a dynamic privately-owned commercial real estate development group (quickly acquired by the largest REIT in the Southeast, Highwoods Properties). Although I was hired as an assistant, I was promoted to director of lease administration and then transferred to their newly acquired portfolio in Charlotte. In the South, sports are inescapable, so I became a reluctant Panthers fan, joined a co-ed flag football team, and spent a lot of time on Lake Norman.

Highwoods kept acquiring, so I agreed to go to Colorado for the next acquisition. Something went sideways during due diligence, and I was forced to seek alternative work. I found a large retail/office portfolio and I cold called them. Within a week I became their Financial Analyst. Denver is not a city rich with history (compared to New England), but I was determined to find it somewhere and I did: Leadville, Colorado, former stomping grounds of Doc Holliday and the highest city in the USA at 10,105'. I learned about Horace Tabor and how to snowboard. Best climate in the states if you ask me.

I felt landlocked and missed New England, so I packed up a U-Haul and with my cats and my car in tow, I journeyed back across the country. I landed in the Farmington Valley and worked for a few real estate developers. I began testing the waters to see what a career change could look like. I introduced myself to a few incredibly talented musicians and started work in music management and public relations. Together with Yogi Lonich, a multi-instrumental virtuoso (Chris Cornell, Melissa Etheridge, Cat Stevens, Kid Rock, Natasha Bedingfield, Bonnie Raitt, and Alanis Morissette), we independently released two albums and planned accompanying tours. This experience taught me a lot about the industry, which was in full-blown disruption thanks to digital music distribution.

In 2009, I moved to a tiny town in northwest Connecticut called Lakeside. In 2014, I taught myself off-loom bead-weaving techniques, created by Native Americans to adorn clothing and objects. I started a company (Ice Blink Designs) and sold my handmade jewelry all over the country. Needing a website and marketing collateral was the genesis of my website/graphic design business. My friends loved my website and started referring me to their friends. Within 3 years I had a huge portfolio and clients all over NY, CT & MA.

I made the big decision to move out of sleepy, snowy New England. I asked myself "where do you want to be?" I settled on St. Petersburg, Florida. In February 2019, I began my new life in my new city and it has been the single best decision I have ever made. If I'm not picking up empty shells or crocheting, I am kayaking, bicycling or vacuuming sand out of my car, all in a dynamic, vibrant city focused on the promotion of the arts, community and small business.