I grew up in Lakeville, Massachusetts which is in the Southeast corner of the state about 20 miles from Cape Cod. I went to college in upstate New York at a small Liberal Arts college called Colgate University. At Colgate I majored in European history, and really loved the whole Liberal Arts and small school experience. Soon after graduation, I drove cross country and moved to San Francisco. Although only planning to stay for 2-5 years, I haven't left.

I took some classes for fun at City College of San Francisco, and realized that this was the type of place where I wanted to work. I enrolled at SFSU and received my M.A. in History in 1994. I started teaching as a part time instructor here at SRJC in 1995 as well as at other Bay Area schools. In 2000, I became a full time instructor at SRJC. I now live here in Sonoma county with husband Jim, son Jack, and dog Murphy. When not teaching, I love baseball, the Red Sox particularly, camping, and planning our next vacation.