Hello from Nacogdoches - the oldest town in Texas.

I grew up in Nacogdoches and attended Stephen F. Austin State University from 1971-1973. However, due to my husband's education at Texas A&M and his subsequent service in the US Army, there was an interim period between 1974 and 1984 when I lived in Austin, Bryan-College Station, San Antonio, and New Braunfels. I attended Texas A&M and then graduated from Trinity University in San Antonio with a BA in Journalism and English. In 1984, my husband left the army and decided to establish his own veterinary practice in Nacogdoches. Upon our return, I worked as a newspaper reporter for one year, then decided to go back to school to earn my teacher's certficiation. I taught high school English and worked with high school students in a writing lab from 1989-1995. I worked as the Technology Coordinator for a school district from 1995-1999.

In July 1999, I left K-12 and began working in higher education as the Distance Education Coordinator at Stephen F. Austin State University. That same fall, I enrolled in the Master's of Educational Technology program. So, I have had a steep learning curve for the past year-and-a-half. New job, turnovers at work, family crises, and coursework in a totally online environment. This may be similar to what many of you have experienced.

My husband and I are fortunate to have three children - two daughters and one son - and three grandsons. My oldest daughter, who has the three boys, is married to a Minister of Youth in Canton, Texas; my younger daughter is married to a realtor in Nacogdoches and has no children; and my son is a freshman at SFA majoring in history and political science.

Each semester I find that something I learned in one of my courses was critical to the position I hold and to the faculty I work with. Many, many times I've thought, "Thank goodness I had that course." There is much carry-over from work to school and school to work.

My favorite hobby is reading, but I also love to be outdoors planting flowers in the Spring.