What is your favorite food and why? 
German potato salad. That along with my mother’s spare ribs were the meal I always requested for my birthday when I was a kid. Not only is it easy to make, but it is associated with wonderful memories.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
You do the best with the information you have at the time. Don’t beat yourself up with regret or what you did not know.
Do you have any hobbies?
Yes! Too many to list, LOL. But come find me at an AUTM meeting and we can talk about our favorite places in the world, dancing, art classes, or some of the best hikes we’ve been on.
How did you get involved in technology transfer? 
I was a temporary receptionist at Stanford’s Office of Technology Licensing. I was working on some pre-requisites to apply for an MFA in medical illustration, but I ended up loving the office and stayed when they offered me a job as a licensing assistant. Fortunately, I had a degree in biology, so I fit right in.
What’s something you’re working on right now that really excites you? 
Some of our tech transfer colleagues and I are working on Equalize 2.0 – enhancing the current Equalize program of mentorship and pitch training for academic women entrepreneurs to add more networking and education components as well as expanding it to a broader group. Stay tuned!
What do you like most about working with other tech transfer professionals?
The collegiality. People in this profession genuinely want to help others – the researchers at their institutions, their peers at other institutions, the nascent technologies, the budding entrepreneurs. That collegiality translates to openness rather than competitiveness so ideas and practices can readily spread in the profession.
What does AUTM membership have to offer that you can’t get from other organizations? 
The events, professional development, and networking opportunities that AUTM offers for the academic innovation profession are not available anywhere else – I am sure that is one of the reasons that attendance was so high this year at the Annual Meeting in Austin. Plus, the people in AUTM are simply wonderful. It is a truly special community!
What was your reaction when you learned you were the winner of the 2023 AUTM Chair’s Award?
I was initially stunned and then incredibly delighted. AUTM has been a part of my life since 1996, and volunteering with AUTM has always been done out of caring and pride for this organization and our profession. What a wonderful honor to receive for something I truly adore!  
What’s your favorite memory from a past AUTM event?
There are so many, but I’ll mention the one that I spoke of in my short speech at the AUTM Annual Meeting – the Infringers band playing Mustang Sally for Sally Hines at the Annual Meetings in the past.