I grew up in Connecticut where I learned to play piano, cello and compose. My first college degrees (BA, BS, MA, and MBA) were in communications and economics from the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton School of Business. After working as a management consultant, I moved to Sedona, Arizona to reinvigorate my musical and spiritual roots. I composed and recorded my first music album there, which helped me earn a fellowship at the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. I also became certified in spiritual direction to help people explore and develop their own spirituality. Upon graduation from Yale with an MDiv, I became a professor of world religions at Mesa Community College, the largest religious studies program at a two-year college in the nation. While teaching, I continued my studies and completed a PhD in Religious Studies at Arizona State University. I finished my book manuscript while on sabbatical as a Visiting Scholar at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. I feel fortunate to have my first book published with an academic university press. I have traveled extensively, and have been fortunate to lecture and perform music in China, Mexico, England, Scotland, and Ireland.  

 

I continue to teach at Mesa Community College as well as the California Institute of Integral Studies. I currently serve as Co-Chair of the Women's Caucus at the American Academy of Religion and Society of Biblical Literature Annual Conference. I am on the Board of Directors for the Arizona Interfaith Movement. I lecture, lead retreats, and perform music locally. I also serve as a spiritual director at the Franciscan Renewal Center, a retreat center in Scottsdale, Arizona. 

​