Margie was born in Chicago, raised in Ohio and ultimately drawn to New York City, which she believed at the time to be the center of the universe.
She graduated with honors from FIT with a degree in marketing and went on to work for some of the area’s best designers. Eventually she started her own design business. But her passion for politics and policy began to take over, and she found herself volunteering and campaigning more and more and designing less and less. What was once a hobby finally became a career when she left the design business to work at the Maryland General Assembly as the legislative director for two state delegates. She loves being part of the process that turns an idea into law, so when she found out about MarylandCAN she immediately applied for the government relations position, knowing it would encompass so much of what mattered to her: advocacy and making it work for all.
When she’s not advocating Margie also keeps herself busy with her fellow Watershed Stewards by planting living shorelines, rain gardens and native trees in her area. She lives in Severna Park with her husband and twin daughters.
I aspire to be like Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suu Kyi. Here’s why:
I admire Aung San Suu Kyi because of her tireless efforts to bring change to her fellow citizens from an oppressive military government in Burma that has ruled for close to 50 years. She was under house arrest and separated from her family for 20 years. Her recent election into Parliament proves that peaceful movements by citizens still matter because they still work. Her refusal to accept things as they are and her ability to remain steadfast to her beliefs make her a true inspiration to all.
The work I do is making a difference in peoples’ lives. What’s not to love about that?
Is new. I grew up attending parochial schools and watching my parents continually make sacrifices to send their children to the schools of their choice. My experience with public education began with my own children, who both attend public schools.
Names. If I can’t remember someone’s name, I have a bad habit of giving them a new one, so no one ever knows whom I am talking about. I also misplace my handbag half a dozen times a day. “Where’s my purse?” is one of my most common refrains.
I picked this image because like a lot of parents, making sure that my children are prepared for the world is my driving force. A great education is a major part of that. Every day I look at this photo and it keeps me on target. They are a bit older now and so am I but the focus remains.