What is your current position with the Marin County Bar Association and what are your responsibilities?

Executive director, which I’ve been since 2014. I oversee the organization so that it’s fiscally sound. MCBA is liaison to the court and we deliver informative continuing legal education. Having fun that connects members is also a priority!

How did you wind up in that position?

I saw the announcement for the opening and applied. I wanted to be more connected with the community where I live. I was working in San Francisco at the time and most of my connections were there. In San Francisco, I was the marketing director for a large law firm well known for its land use law. I was able to get the firm the accolades they deserve for all their important work. I applied to that job because I wanted to work for a woman founder. Before that, I was the marketing director at Gordon & Rees for four years. I helped them grow from 15 offices to 25 offices. My first boss at Gordon & Rees was a woman – I was basically doing PR helping her with both the expansion and making sure she got exposure, which she did, such as being featured in the San Francisco Business Times.

I know from personal experience that you are modest. What are you most proud of in your role as executive director of the Marin County Bar Association?

I think our outward presence to the community is excellent. Our website is fabulous and we won awards for it. We expanded our membership. We’ve expanded our programming such as the Bay Area MCLE conference. But I don’t do this alone. I do it with the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee. It’s really a partnership. We have a very collegial bar. We have good relationships with our court and if there’s a legal need from the court, the attorneys step up. This organization doesn’t exist without the work of the lawyers.

What are your goals for MCBA?

I’d like to expand the membership. I want to collaborate more with the other bars to provide innovative and exciting programming. I want to continue to work with the court’s programs and improve Court to Bar communications. I’m excited to connect younger attorneys with our organization and help them build their practices through MCBA.

What do you do when you’re not supporting the Marin County legal community?

I love hiking and cooking. I have tons of cookbooks. I make a really great miso-glazed Chilean sea bass. My favorite hike is the Coastal Trail in Tennessee Valley.

Where did you grow up and what was that like?

I was raised in the Bay Area, in Santa Clara, but I’m from Seattle. When I was growing up, Santa Clara was all orchards.

Tell us about your family.

I have two daughters. Chelsea is 30 and Claire is 25 and they are the apples of my eye. They are both bilingual and have French baccalauréats. I wanted them to have cultural diversity. One is a nurse practitioner with a master’s in nursing and the other works with the Equal Justice Institute. Previously, she taught English at San Quentin. My daughters are civic-minded; when they were kids, they would register voters outside of Whole Foods. They set a good example for me.

What is something someone would be surprised to know about you?

Before I worked at a law firm, my background was with medical devices. I have a background in microbiology and immunology and I have a master’s in business administration from Saint Mary’s. I did global marketing plans and I was on the road two weeks a month. Then I went to UCSF and was in the department of medicine, where I was working on the “Center of Excellence without Walls,” which funded innovative research in asthma. I have a creative side and an analytical/scientific side.

What is your next adventure?

I would love to do a bicycle trip through France. Or hike a short leg of the Camino de Santiago.
Author’s note: Do it!