| Destined for Academia |
I am from a beautiful small town in central Florida called Bartow. My
elementary, junior high and high schools are all within walking distance
of the home my parents still live in. The family community newspaper
business just a few minutes drive from there was as a home away from
home. As much as I love the Bartow community, after high school I
was ready for bigger things. I moved to Lyon, France, promising my
parents I'd be back after a year. It was a hard promise to
keep. |
 
Bartow's historic courthouse |
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A glimpse of Bagatelle, the chateau
that was my French home
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I spent a wonderful year as an exchange student with fantastic tutors as
surrogate parents. Yves, an architect, indoctrinated me in French
architecture and art with trips to many beautiful and historic parts of his
country, while Colette allowed me to be an apprentice in her classically French
kitchen. Through our frequent trips to the butcher's, produce and cheese
stands, and the like, Colette kept me from discovering for many months that France
has grocery stores and canned goods. |
After learning to appreciate the best of another country, I felt I could use
a broader knowledge of my own. Washington, D.C. had a strong appeal,
and I chose a university there with a high
percentage of international students to help me stay connected to the world outside of my own community. My business education at The George Washington University and
interest in international perspectives made a position at The U.S. Department of
Commerce's International Trade Administration a natural next step. My positions
included automating manual processes and analyzing vast quantities of
trade data, which provided my first encounter with SAS. |
George Washington's beloved hippo
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Dr. Gerry DeSanctis,
a Duke MBA favorite |
Soon I was ready for graduate education, this time choosing Duke University's
Fuqua School of Business. The Duke MBA's emphasis on teamwork and commitment to
community service were a great complement to its excellent teaching.
Several of my Duke professors suggested I stay on as a Ph.D. student, and at a
chance lunch, then Duke President Dr. Nan Keohane also put in a pitch. I should have learned to listen to great advice from wise people much
earlier in life. |
Instead of accepting that a Ph.D. was in my future, I chose a career that
held promise for providing a faster pace and greater learning potential
than working for the federal government had: high tech marketing and strategic
planning at Nortel. I sought positions with global accounts and
international regions, enjoying the international travel that came with
it. The stimulating work was data intensive, and included crafting
novel analysis methods and frequent project shifts. And still it
didn't occur to me that the Ph.D. degree was calling. |
Washington, D.C.,
where local news is national news
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History professors make
great Jeopardy! contestants
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When it was time to stop relocating so frequently and traveling so
extensively, my history professor husband persuaded me to try my hand at
teaching college. After a few courses, I was hooked. Research would prove
another strong draw. I earned a Ph.D. in Information Systems in 2008.
My life is made richer by two beautiful boys who show signs of having
inherited their parents' love of learning. We hope they master taking good
advice a lot sooner than I did.
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