I currently serve as the Executive Director of the Ohio Governor's Council on People with Disabilities. I have been at this position since November 2002. I have held a wide variety of previous employment titles. I also engage in more leisure activities than I really have the time. My best time is spent with my husband of eleven years, Andrew Arana.
As an undergraduate college student I lost my vision. Since I never found it, I remain blind. It is my opinion that this is only a slight inconvenience and I refuse to let it limit me. To this effect, I have lived in four different States and have visited 45 States (and most of the continents). As you can see I had a cobra around my neck in Egypt. In Australia, I traveled on nine different modes of transportation. If all goes according to plan, Antarctica will be the seventh continent I visit in January of 2009.
Education has allowed me to visit and live so many places. After becoming blind, I completed my B.A.S.W. at Michigan State University. I then attended the University of Michigan (GO BLUE!) on a full scholarship and earned my Master of Arts in Social Work, with an emphasis on Community Organization and Social Policy.
I then worked as a Research Assistant and Adjunct Professor for the University of South Carolina. At USC, I completed a Master of Science degree, in Public Health. This education was in the field of Epidemiology, Injury, and Violence.
In the mid 90’s, I moved to sunny southern California (which I truly miss between December and April of every year, when it snows in Ohio). In California, I worked as Lead Epidemiologist for a consortium of twelve Indian reservations. I, also, worked as the Executive Director of Community Access Center which is a non-profit Independent Living Center. In both of these positions, I worked with a great staff; through our efforts we were able to secure more than $1.0 million for new programs.
I do a fair amount of work for non-profits including survey development, grants, and other contributions. I think it should be part of everyone's belief system to give to non-profits because the work they do is essential. My favorite charities are National Public Radio, “wolverine” support at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, Brain Injury Association of Ohio, Libreria del Pueblo, Home Town Recreation Association, and the Justice League.
At heart I am a true numbers person. When my husband asked me to marry him, I answered by saying "we have nine risk factors for divorce". With all of our differences (race, gender, nationality, etc.), we seem to excel. In fact, last year a college student told us "you two have the most normal and happy marriage of anyone I know."