I grew up in Minnesota in a family with seven children. I came to the East Coast for college and graduated from Wellesley with a bachelor's degree in English literature. I worked in the private sector for ten years, before taking a break to raise my children.
I've lived on Long Island for the last 18 years, since marrying my husband Bill. We have two sons. They attend public school.

In 1991, I began my political career running for office in North Hempstead. I ran for Town Clerk and won. I managed a department with one third fewer employees. In addition to managing our duties, we added evening hours. It was here that I proposed a new law regulating towing. It recreated a rotation system, to avoid any actual or appearance of corruption. It is still in effect and the Nassau County Police Department supported it.
In 1992, I ran for and won the position of County Clerk. The incumbent had resigned amid massive backlogs (up to nine months) in the recording of deeds and mortgages. In one year, I had consolidated three computer systems into one, eliminated every recording backlog and increased revenues by 250% over the previous year.
In 1993, having lost my re-election bid, then Supervisor Tom Suozzi hired me as his legislative analyst. In 1995 I ran for and won a position on the Town Council of North Hempstead. I proposed laws to prevent groundwater runoff in new construction, the prohibition of dry cleaning facilities in buildings with residential units, a requirement that before construction of tiered parking lots, businesses had to study car pool alternatives with financial incentives for employees.
In the year 2000, I offered an amendment to the Town budget to help fund a study on saltwater intrusion in the Port Washington Peninsula. This amendment passed, and recently the study revealed that there is saltwater intrusion, which will cause serious re-evaluation of all development and of water usage on the peninsula.
In 2001, when Thomas R. Suozzi won the election as County Executive, he asked me to join his administration. Although I was willing to serve in a number of capacities, I am very grateful he selected me to oversee the Parks and Recreation Department. In this job I oversee 350 employees, 6,000 acres of land over 320 buildings and 15 active and 11 passive parks or preserves, four County-run museums, four County-owned museums, 17 historic properties.

SOME NASSAU COUNTY PARKS DEPT INFO HERE??

My hobbies are: golf, tennis, sailing, reading (fiction), and gardening. I am on the Environmental Committee of the Long Island Women's Agenda, the Education Committee of the Executive Women's Golf Association, a former President of the Roslyn Rotary Club, an Honorary Board Member of Habitat for Humanity and a member of many environmental organizations.

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