Why did you join the Junior League?

To make friends as many of my good girlfriends do not live in Omaha  and be more involved in the community.

Tell us about your family?  Husband, Mark and Son, Tony (4).  Mark and I met in high school and started dating in 1996.  We married in 2003 and will celebrate our 12^th anniversary this upcoming May.  Mark is a partner at the law firm Pansing, Hogan, Ernst and Bachman.  Fun fact: I am a twin.  My sister, Melanie, lives in Atlanta, GA and we actually married our high school sweethearts who are also best friends.

Pets: Cockapoo named Sadie 

Hometown: Omaha, NE

College: Metro Community College – where I received an associates degree in Culinary Arts and Foodservice Management and Bellevue University where I got my bachelors in Marketing Management

Job/Business: I am the Regional Catering Manager for Panera Bread.  Although I live in Omaha (and work from home) I cover western Nebraska, Northwestern Iowa and both Dakotas.  I oversee the catering operations and sales in 12 cafes – soon to be 14 in 2015.

What was your favorite placement and why?

I liked being on New Member.  It is a small committee but it feels big when you add in all the new members.  I feel like my two years on that really helped me meet a ton of Junior League Members.

What is your favorite thing about living in Omaha? 

The small community feel with almost everything you get in a big city.

What are your favorite restaurant(s) in Omaha?

Brushi, M’s Pub and Pasta Amore.  My guilty pleasure is Amigos – I love their Crisp Meat Burritos and Cali Taco.

What other organizations are you affiliated with? Meeting Professionals International – Heartland Chapter (MPI for short), The Rose Guild, International Association for Business Communicators (IABC) and American Marketing Association (AMA).

What is your favorite song?  Murder of One – Counting Crows (really anything by Counting Crows but if I have to pick my favorite it is Murder of One).

What is your strongest talent?

Cooking and Baking.  I love to test new recipes and try new things in the kitchen.

What is your favorite thing to do on a day off?

In the spring and summer I like to try to garden although I am not very good at it.  Once in a while my plants live.

What is your favorite season and why?

Fall.  I love Thanksgiving.  My husband calls it my “Super Bowl” as I love to cook for family and friends.  I also love going to Nebraska City to pick apples and pumpkins with my family.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would you go?

I would love to see Italy.

What is your favorite book or the last good book you read?

My favorite is Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and the last really good book I read was 11/22/63

What is your favorite all-time movie?

Sound of Music is my all-time favorite.  I love campy 80s flicks though like Baby Boom and Troop Beverly Hills and Hello Again.  I like the lighthearted comedies.

What is your favorite television show?

It varies.  I am really digging House of Cards on Netflix and The Comeback on HBO.  I don’t watch a ton of television really.

What is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to you? 

There are too many to count.  One that sticks out is while on our honeymoon in Cabo a lady at the hotel pool bar swore that my husband and I were celebrities.  She couldn’t tell us who we were and did not believe us when we said we weren’t.

If you could choose anyone, who would you pick as your mentor?

Tina Fey – she is funny and successful and seems to be able to laugh at herself a lot.  I like that.

What is one of your favorite quotes?

“Some people say, “Never let them see you cry.” I say, if you’re so mad you could just cry, then cry. It terrifies everyone.”  Tina Fey

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