I'm an editorial writer specializing in Palm Beach County issues, as well as general health, animal, environmental and other topics. I also write a daily online health column on the Sun Sentinel home page that seeks to foster a dialogue about the hottest health topics & get people active in solving health-related problems.

A Fort Lauderdale native, I'm a Stranahan High alum and a graduate of Tufts University, where I received a bachelor of arts degree in English literature in 1988. I have a master's degree in journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and have spent the past 20+ years in the newspaper business -- the last 16 with my hometown paper, the Sun Sentinel (since 1994). I started out as a Palm Beach County government reporter, then covered courts and general assignment before landing a dream job on the Editorial Board in 2004. My husband, Rich, and I live west of Boynton Beach with our two girls, Baylee and Krista, and one very yappy dog, Rocky.

In my spare time, I help my husband run a nonprofit fishing academy that educates at-risk kids on the rewards and opportunities of responsible fishing, and I serve as a volunteer Guardian ad Litem, a court-appointed advocate for abused, abandoned and neglected kids. My real joy, other than spending time with my family, is long-distance running. Oh, yeah, and Scrabble. Wanna play?