What would you want clients to know about you from the start? What are some of the superpowers you bring to the table?

After approximately 40 years of HR experience, clients should know how committed I am to the human resources profession and that I will always do my best to provide the best service to their organization.

Clients have said I bring clarity, strategy, fairness, compassion, and people together without trying to control an outcome. They said I leave both the work and the people better than when they started.

Personally, I think my superpower is being a “people strategist”: I take an advisory role and turn it into a big-picture, collaborative planning session by including others.

Do you have a motto, philosophy, or guiding principle? 

There are several, because there is never just one thing that shapes us, but I narrowed it down to a motto by Richard Branson: “Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don’t want to.”

For stretches of up to ten years, I had very few vacancies on my teams. People from other departments and agencies would often ask how they could come work in our “HR house.” I had the privilege of working with talented professionals who genuinely enjoyed their work and one another. In the departments where I have worked over the past 40 years, we were more than colleagues—we became a tight unit, and many of those relationships remain strong today. I believe teams succeed when people have the ability, confidence, and trust to work with and through one another.

You should teach people everything they need to know and prepare them so they can go anywhere, but you hope they never do because they love where they are.

If you had pursued a different career, what might it have been? 

I think I might have pursued a career in the medical field, either as a nurse or a hospital administrator. When I began college, my goal was to become a nurse, but San José State’s nursing program was impacted, and I was placed on a waitlist. At the time, I happened to be working part-time in the university’s Human Resources and Equal Employment Opportunity Office.

In what now feels like kismet, I found my way into human resources—another profession centered on caring for and supporting people. I earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a concentration in human resources, while minoring in human biology to keep the door to nursing open. I later earned a master’s degree in leadership from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga.

Years later, my two paths nearly converged when I had an opportunity to consider an HR position at a hospital. By then, however, I was deeply committed to serving the broader community through public-sector human resources. It was a meaningful reminder that opportunities sometimes have a way of circling back.

What inspires you about working in the public sector? 

I value being part of a sector where employees work together toward common goals grounded in fairness, ethics, and public service: those principles resonate deeply with me. Human resources plays an essential role in keeping our communities strong and vibrant—not only because of what we do, but because of why we do it.

In many ways, HR professionals are positioned where the journey begins. We recruit, select, train, and develop the employees who serve our communities every day. We may not be the ones maintaining the streets and traffic signals, caring for the parks, ensuring buildings are safe, responding to emergencies, or wearing a public safety uniform—but we have the privilege of helping select and support the remarkable people who do that work.

I take tremendous pride in being part of that process. I get choked up talking about it because I truly believe in the field of human resources. It is more than my profession; it is my passion, and I love serving the public sector.

What made you want to affiliate with MRG? 

First and foremost, there is Mary Egan. Mary and I go back decades. Throughout my career, I relied on Municipal Resource Group (MRG) for a wide range of human resources needs across several organizations. When I called MRG, I knew the work would get done—and get done well. I wanted to become that kind of trusted resource and help others in the same way MRG had helped me. Many of the people who supported me—including Mary Egan, Marcie Scott, and Nadine Levin—are affiliated with MRG today.

The second reason is the team—the staff and affiliated consultants. They are some of the best people to work with. I remember Mary telling me that she hires people she likes. Naturally, they also have to know their subject matter! But beyond their expertise, she chooses people she genuinely enjoys and respects. That philosophy resonates with me because everyone at MRG is approachable, supportive, and a pleasure to work with. I feel truly honored to be part of that group.

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