What do you do at the College of Nursing?
My position is Secretary III for the Office of Nursing Research. Along with the day-to-day tasks of the research office, I assist faculty in formatting manuscripts and coordinate book publication projects; forward grants and manuscripts to the CON editor for review; and assist in complying with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access policy. I collect and maintain updated NIH investigator bios for use on grants. I meet with faculty and students to assist them in creating and printing conference posters and also assist postdocs and doctoral students with travel and purchasing.

What did you do before you worked at the college?
Before I came to the College of Nursing, I worked as a Secretary/Receptionist for the Department of Social Service at UIHC. I began in 1988 as secretary for the pediatric social workers, then was moved to provide support to the Med/Surg social work group and also head receptionist. 

Where did you grow up? Tell us something about your childhood/hometown.
I grew up in Antioch, Illinois – about 60 miles north of Chicago. We lived in a rural subdivision and our home was located near a beach on one of the channel lakes in Lake County. There were seven of us (my parents, one brother, and three sisters) who lived in a two-bedroom beach house. We would go swimming all summer and ice skating in the winter on the lake. I remember one spring when the lake flooded and surrounded half of our home. My dad would sit on the back porch and fish! 

If you could vacation anywhere in the world, where would you go and why?
The one trip on my “bucket list” it to go to Alaska the first weekend of March to see the Iditarod sled dog race.  I not only want to see it, but would like to try and become one of the Iditarod riders (someone who gets to sit in the dog sled of one of the competitors for the first 11 miles of the race). After that we would fly to Nome, Alaska, to watch the mushers arrive after their 1,049-mile race.

What do you do away from the office? Tell us about your hobbies/volunteer activities.
My husband and I love to travel and go camping. This summer we plan to take a road trip to see the Smoky Mountains and then drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. We’ll end up in Pennsylvania to visit his family. 

I also enjoy going to NASCAR races with my daughter and brother. My daughter and I are season ticket holders to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. We try to go to a new track each year to see a Sprint Cup Series race, and this year will be Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee (which Car and Driver magazine called "one of the 10 events to see before you die.")