Magic Moment: My journey has been shaped by seizing opportunities when they showed up. I love the challenge of going to a new place and learning new skills and approaches to problems, so this is my 8th job. In my personal life, of course, the decision to adopt my daughter from Russia as a single parent, is the best decision I’ve ever made.

Key Influence: Ross Hitch, my Dad – My Dad was a municipal lawyer. From him, I learned to think about land for its potential instead of just as a piece of land.

Jan Sucharda – Jan helped me deepen my comprehension of the business side of the deal which helps me to focus on negotiating the stuff that actually matters.

Next Big Challenge As An Industry: Land is forever but everything else is in flux. As an industry, a big challenge is to stay ahead of the speed of progress. There’s really no point in discussing parking ratios based on what we do today if driverless cars will be dropping us at the door and parking themselves in 10 years. Energy, land use, transportation, communication – we need to see these in 50 year spans, not 5 years!

Secret Talent: I’ve inherited my Dad’s talent for telling stories that make people laugh.

On Championing Others… I love to coach and help people develop – informally and formally. I love to share what I know and to think through solutions when I don’t already know the answer. To me mentoring is organic so I probably informally mentor – sometimes whether or not people want it!!

One word that captures you: Creative