Q: How long have you worked at Rice?
A: 8 years, then left for two years and came back in August 2023.
Q: What is your favorite part about working for the university?
A: Rice’s beautiful campus and its vicinity.
Q: What do you want people to know about living in Houston?
A: Just before my husband and I decided to relocate from Philadelphia to Houston, I wrote to Mayor Annise Parker asking what made Houston so special. She responded with an incredible letter highlighting the city’s remarkable diversity. She was absolutely right. Houston’s diversity is unparalleled and so naturally woven into the fabric of the city, unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere in America.
Q: What do you do in your downtime?
A: I recently started taking piano lessons and practice almost every night after my kids go to bed to prepare for my recital. I also love reading fiction. If you have any book recommendations, please send them my way!
Q: What’s your favorite spot on campus to show someone?
A: Hands down, Brochstein Pavilion. It’s such a unique and modern building and has food. I truly believe that food brings people together.
Q: What’s the most exciting time of year for you as it relates to Rice?
A: The holiday season. It’s hard to imagine cool weather when our summers seem to last for six months. I always associate the holidays with cooler temperatures. While we may not have much foliage here in Houston, the Rice campus still feels vibrant and exciting during the holiday season.
Q: What’s the one thing that makes Rice special to you?
A: We are a Rice family. My husband also works at Rice. Both of my kids went to Rice Children’s Campus. My kids think Rice is their playground!
Q: If you could be Sammy The Owl for a day, what would you do?
A: I would love to set up “bring your kid to work day” and entertain all the kids and meet all the fabulous Rice athletes.
Q: How would you describe your experience as a Rice employee?
A: It’s incredibly rewarding to see the positive impact I’m making on the organization. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by genuinely good people at work. As a transplant from the Northeast, these meaningful relationships I formed with the amazing people I met at Rice/Houston are truly priceless.
Q: Where do you see Rice in 25 years?
A: I hope Houston adopts a range of adaptation strategies to address climate change. I’d like to see Rice play a pivotal role, if not lead, in those efforts.
Q: Describe Rice in four words or less.
A: Green, diverse, vibrant, squirrels. Yes, squirrels!
Q: What else have we not talked about yet that merits discussion?
A: I would love to see a faculty version of this initiative.