Reared in the "Jim Crow" south by two Pentecostal ministers, I have a Christian world view and personal discipline. My father, an ex-Marine, was a mill worker my mother cleaned houses .

Due to their strong work ethic I never went without life's basics and did not realized our financial poverty until adolescence.

Moving to West Virginia in 3rd grade, I integrated my classroom and experienced ostracism for being ethnically and racially different. Studiously, I worked to change my broad, low country accent by mimicking evening news anchors. Primary and secondary school proved to be a character building dynamic.

I earned a commission in the Air Force, a BSW and a MS. As a military wife for 27 years I reared two children, now successful adults. I taught humanities in publics from coast to coast and in Europe.

Presently, I am the Outreach Coordinator for Penrose Cancer Center, responsible for educating our community about prevention and early detection of cancer. in this capacity I build partnerships with diverse organizations, collaborating to bring early detection screening and education to underserved populations in El Paso County.