A glimpse at who I am may be summarized best in the following “Long Time Rotary Members Zoom Talk” I gave in 2020. 

My career did not happen by DESIGN, it just evolved and is a product of my upbringing.  My mother, grandmother & aunt were very strong role models.  Love, kindness, compassion & giving were things I grew up with & ARE the core theme in my life & work

I am one of six, my Mom was one of six & my dad was one of eleven. in such a large family, I was acutely aware of the collective & the needs of others, for me, especially the elderly …. Because, of my closeness to my grandmother. 

For the past 35 years, I have been a Realtor & ironically my very first job at seventeen was in a real estate office!  I loved working & the freedom it gave me so I ALWAYS WORKED. Now we are talking half a century ago in Cairo Egypt … I CAME FROM a Totally different world … 

One fun job I had when I was starting out, was assistant to a Japanese reporter for the Yomiuri Shimbun.  The high for me there was covering the press center when he was in the field.  

I got a BA in English Language & Literature & a Diploma in Management.  While I was completing My Master’s Degree in Management Information Systems & Computers, at the American University of Cairo, My Mom, who was a Diplomat in New York, calls me up … “what are you doing in CAIRO … I am here, finish up & come over, I got you enrolled, non-matriculate  into the PhD Business Program at Bernard Baruch College.

OK, so New York, HERE I come! While in New York, I taught Marketing, Marketing Research & Consumer Behavior at Bernard Baruch College & the City University of New York …. BUT THE HIGH FOR ME was when I taught at the Fashion Institute of Technology … I LOVED WALKING DOWN THE HALLS OF THAT SCHOOL.. The beauty, the colors … everyone was so ornate.  That is where I got hooked on design …!!  It was  fun being there in the early 80s & Disco time. 

Fast forward I get another call from Mom …. What are you doing in New York…? I am here … COME OVER …. she got assigned to San Francisco … SO WEST COAST HERE I COME … I went into banking,  Mortgage lending, WAS INTRODUCED INTO THE SAN FRANCISCO ROTARY, MET DONALD, GOT MARRIED, moved to the Peninsula, we established Douglas & Moore Real Estate  .. THAT WAS over 30 years ago.  

I combined my background in finance, my education, my love for people & my instinctive feel for their needs, with real estate and I became a Realtor & Mortgage Broker.   I was different in how I did business, I managed real estate portfolios.  It was about the long term perspective, lifestyle & the relationship not just a property.    I always thought out of the box, I ONCE put a dog in a contract, we saved the home of a widow from going off the cliff in Pacifica, we did landscaping & curb appeal before that was a “thing” …  so many stories of humanity over the years… 

I was President of Palo Alto Central Commercial for 5 years during which I got 4 litigations settled, went ten rounds with the City of Palo Alto to REZONE THE COMPLEX … WE ended up with A PARTIAL REZONING WHICH IS A WIN … MY OFFICE IS STILL THERE!!! I mediated family feuds. My work TOOK ME WHEREVER I NEEDED TO GO with my clients, from San Francisco to San Jose & East Bay, Las Vegas & A FEW EAST COAST properties.  I loved what I did and had fun with it… THE HIGH for me WAS WHEN I WAS FINED AT ROTARY FOR SHOWING UP IN the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 200 Luxury Home Agents in the nation …..!!! 

THEN JUST LIKE THAT .. I WAS RUN OVER BY A TRAM  Life as I knew it was OVER,  I could barely walk for a while, then there were 2 crutches then 2 canes, all the therapy, the pain killers, etc.    I had to re-invent myself & like a phoenix, rise from the ashes. 

I became a Listing Broker, added staging, design& energy work, changing space with the art of placement & added  Feng Shui & Property Management.  

Over 30 years ago, I was introduced to the Rotary Club of San Francisco, Thank You Professor Harry Homan; 25 years ago, I was introduced to the Palo Alto Rotary, Thank You Betsy Bechtel. I love being a Rotarian &  the many avenues of service through which it contributes.  There is a sense of belonging, sharing, &  learning.  Over the years the support has been phenomenal.  I Chaired several committees but am likely more known for being the longest running Social Chair!  Ten years… Ten Presidents … 56 events of which sixteen were Holiday Parties …   THE HIGH for me was when Dick Freeman wrote ME A poem for all THE PARTIES  and it  MADE IT INTO THE Pinion … 

THEN JUST LIKE THAT WITHOUT WARNING,  I LOST MY HUSBAND OF 30 years.  Life as I knew it was REALLY over. It has been 3 years. I had to re-invent myself & RISE like a phoenix yet again.   The love & support that I received from right here is humbling . THANK YOU, I AM SO GRATEFUL 

Today, I have an acute awareness that everything is finite. 

As we go through this Sci-Fi Movie that is our life right now, I continue to be a Listing Broker, dedicated to serving.  So I AM here, working …. Virtually as it may be …  My office is located in Palo Alto Central on California Avenue where it has been for the past 30 years.   When the Shelter in Place finally lifts, come by … I do make a mean Cup of Turkish coffee ….  Be Safe