Mediation is all about humanity. Good mediators possess a deep understanding of the human experience. My personal and professional experiences have deepened my understanding of and sensitivity to the human emotions and experiences that drive conflict resolution. As a wife, mother, daughter, and athlete, I have experienced the breadth of human emotions and value systems that affect disputes.

As a third-generation attorney of Italian American descent, I was raised with a reverence towards education and family values. Born in Brooklyn, NY to Italian American parents and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico, I consider myself multicultural. Poor and seeking opportunity, my grandparents immigrated from southern Italy and Sicily to New York and raised my parents and their grandchildren to honor their immigrant backgrounds and to respect the diversity that is part of our American culture. My maternal grandmother immigrated to the United States not knowing a word of English when she was only 11 years old. Her parents sacrificed so that she could attend high school, college and ultimately graduate school and law school. My “Na Na” was my second mother and raised me to respect the value of hard work, academic excellence, and the value of family. My grandmother’s stories of how children taunted her for her poor English will always remain with me, increasing my sensitivity to those who struggle with our language and who are trying to assimilate into American society while respecting their own heritage.

In 1971, my family moved to San Juan, PR when my father took a position as a lawyer for the Immigration Service. I attended school on an army base with children of military and civilian government workers. My classmates were born and raised throughout the globe and came from a multitude of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Growing up in Puerto Rico, a melting pot of cultures, shaped me as a person. I lived in Puerto Rico until I graduated from high school in 1982 and began my undergraduate studies at the Catholic University of America in Washington DC.

I have used these early experiences to fuel my passion for assisting the underprivileged: those who cannot communicate in our society by virtue of a different language and/or culture. I have spent a good part of my career as an attorney representing the Hispanic community in a variety of lawsuits and serving as a mediator with an emphasis on assisting resolution of claims involving parties from different cultures.

As a mother of two adult children, a son who is a DC barred attorney and a daughter currently in law school, my experiences raising them and interacting with their friends have increased my sensitivity to the various learning and communication styles of others. As a competitive runner, and Boston qualified Marathoner, I know the value of discipline, tenacity, planning and execution and have developed the ability to remain in uncomfortable situations for extended periods of time without losing my focus on the overarching goals. These skills remain essential for effective mediation.

I look forward to putting my unique set of skills to work for civil litigants to assist in achieving cost effective and satisfying resolutions of their disputes.