STAT BOX
Grew up in Atlanta and moved to Boston in 1993 to attend Wellesley College
Has lived in Davis Square, Beacon Hill, South End, Back Bay and Cambridge
Has been a Big Sister since 1999. Her Little Sister is the first in her family to finish high school and, now, the first to attend college (at UMass-Boston)!
Threw a surprise 50th birthday party for her mom, made a video of photos and messages from family and friends, and sent her on a 2-week trip to South Africa.
Her most surprising moment: when her husband proposed to her at her birthday party on our roof deck in front of 50 of her friends
You may not know: she shaved my head in college as a feminism in action.
Q: Can you tell us a little about your work as Executive Director at the New England Venture Capital Association?
A: I work to make Massachusetts the best place in the world to start and grow new companies. My members are 90 VC firms but my organization represents the interests of the startup ecosystem–tech and healthcare–as a whole. My office is in Kendall Square, one of the coolest and fastest changing neighborhoods in the area. I spend my days meeting with VCs, entrepreneurs, legislators, policy folks, and other stakeholders in the community. Our big event that is open to the public is the NEVY Awards, May 13th at the House of Blues. http://www.newenglandvc.org/nevy-awards
Q: What are some of your favorite places to go?
A: My husband says that I travel so I can eat. Yes, that’s pretty much true. Our latest trip was to Zermatt, Switzerland where I ate my body weight in melted cheese. I am a convert to sailing vacations and spent two weeks sailing the British Virgin Islands with our my family, brothers, and nephews last year. We will do that trip again. My favorite trip ever is to New Zealand. It’s my husband’s homeland and is full of beautiful plants, birds and animals–and really good wine.
Q: What is your favorite television show or book?
A: I obsess over House of Cards and am embarrassed to say I discovered the series when good friends of mine showed up to a costume party dressed as Frank and Claire. I used to read voraciously but am sorry to say motherhood has seriously stymied that passion. I tell everyone I know who is contemplating starting a family, “Read now! Read everything you’ve ever wanted to. Really!”
Q: Who brought you into SheGives and what do you like best about her?
A: Laura Gassner Otting invited me to join when the group was first forming. I was a couple of weeks away from the birth of my daughter and felt stretched too thin. But, a year later, I’d gotten the hang of the working mom thing and received a second invitation. It was easy to say yes that time. Laura surrounds herself with great people and is always a hoot and holler to hang with. And she has a genuine commitment to social justice issues like education that matter to me. So, again, it was easy to say yes.
WhoIsShe is a regular column featuring an appreciative but sometimes irreverent conversation with a SheGives Member.
