STAT BOX
Grew up in St. Louis, MO – mom was a nun and dad was a priest (no scandal – they both left and THEN met!)
Has run three marathons (Boston, Paris, and Chicago)
Married with two kids
Enjoys spending time with her family, travel, reading fiction
Favorite places: In the world: Istanbul, Bangkok; Locally: Woodstock, VT and the South End
Vice president at a global investment banking firm
Q: TO START US OFF, COULD YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT ON THE BOARD OF CRITTENTON WOMEN’S UNION?
A: Yes, of course. I am on the board of Crittenton Women’s Union (CWU), a non-profit that – at its core – is trying to pull women out of poverty. Not just with a Band-Aid of temporary housing or a six-week literacy program, but with comprehensive, long-term, multi-faceted programs aimed at teaching women self-sufficiency. I am very proud to be associated with CWU’s work on this big, hairy, complicated problem of “poverty” that means so much more than just one word. It means raising children without a support network; it means trying to find work without much by way of resources and education; it means being poor and trying to understand the logic of spending money on school rather than taking the only job you can find (even though the wage is so low, you’d still be considered “poor”).
Q: PLEASE GO ON.
A: I find being a working mom of two kids to be a challenge…and I have a graduate degree, a (more than) self-sustaining wage, a supportive husband, and a network of friends and family to lean on for advice. Most of the women and families that CWU serves have none of those things. So I’m here to spread the word about the great work that CWU is doing in this space and would love to introduce the organization to any interested She Gives members. (Shameless plug!)
Q: WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES, BESIDES YOUR PHILANTHROPIC ACTIVITIES?
A: My favorite things to do are spend time with my family (two little kids and husband) because it is so easy for other parts of life to take over, so I cherish the free evenings or completely free weekends when it’s just us. Outside of that, I love traveling both near (for a weekend, places we haven’t been in the area) and far (recent trips have been to Turkey, Croatia, Morocco, Mozambique…hoping to go to Portugal this year). I also am an avid fiction reader; I read books on my iPhone in taxis, standing in line when getting my coffee, while feeding the baby, and before bed at night. I read two to three books a month…ranging from book-snob-worthy to chick-lit.
Q: FINALLY, WHO BROUGHT YOU INTO SHEGIVES? WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT HER?
A: Elizabeth De Saint-Aignan introduced me to SheGives, and what I like best about her is her name. I’m kidding…I like many, many things about Elizabeth. She’s a great friend and someone I try to emulate in many situations both personal and professional. She gives really candid, honest advice, and she is funny. But the thing I like best about her is her instant openness and her willingness to just be herself and “tell it how it is.”
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SheGives connects committed, inquisitive, engaged donors with a slate of diligenced nonprofits in the Greater Boston area. We provide members with relevant data about the nonprofits in our portfolio and an opportunity to meet directly with our nonprofits’ Executive Directors and senior staff in small settings that promote in-depth q&a’s and, ultimately, informed giving. Giving is personally driven, but because we give side-by-side our collective impact is greater. See a list of the vetted nonprofits selected for our slate here.
WhoIsShe is a regular column featuring an appreciative but sometimes irreverent conversation with a SheGives Member.
