About

Writing and creating children's books was an adventure for me, and a journey I never envisioned taking, yet am very glad that I did!  It is a rewarding creative outlet and one of a few entrepreneurial outlets for me.  And my most important job is the one that inspired the books - the role of being a mother. 

 

My children are the North Star of all my decisions.  I started reading to them when they were about two weeks old, and my books pay homage to where they were born - our beautiful home, Louisiana.

 

By day, I am a finance and investment strategist with extensive experience advising private clients, businesses, and institutions on growth, financial management, and economic development.  Currently, I serve as the Chief Business Officer at Tulane University’s School of Science & Engineering.  My mind stays busy and sharp being responsible for the school's $100m budget, including overseeing the finance, HR, and marketing teams.  Having the opportunity to work with brilliant scientists and engineers is again, not something I ever envisioned, yet here I am and I am grateful for the opportunity. 

 

In the summer of 2023, I was brought to Tulane University to help create its first venture capital fund, Tulane Ventures.  I was hired as its Investment Director and liaison to industry partners and after about six months and with a team in place, I transitioned to the role of the School of Science & Engineering's first Chief Business Officer.

 

Before that, I joyfully led economic development efforts as Senior Vice President at the New Orleans Business Alliance, securing $2M in federal and state funding to support biotech infrastructure and real estate investment for the city.  I embraced the opportunity to oversee the organization's business development and marketing teams, represent the organization with the New Orleans Bio District, and worked directly with private sector firms on growth strategies and business development efforts.  All of this was an effort to grow the economy and create a thriving place where people could plant roots and prosper.

 

My financial career also included leadership roles at Ochsner Health where I managed financial growth strategy for a $167M revenue division that included multiple service lines, and CIC Wealth, where I worked with amazing partners to co-manage $400M in client assets.  I loved working with people to manage their hard-earned investment portfolios, guide them through tax-advantaged strategies, and coach them on business succession planning as they thought about how they wanted to spend their life in retirement.  At the time, I was a Registered Representative (Series 7 and 66), a licensed insurance agent, and held a Chartered Retirement Plan Specialist (CRPS®) designation.  It was a big decision to leave that line of work, yet it felt like the right thing to do when I was very pregnant with my first child.

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In recent years, I became a 2022 Leadership Louisiana graduate, board chair of Louisiana BIO, was instrumental in establishing the state’s first STEM Innovation Caucus, board treasurer of KID smART, and more.  Many years ago, while earning my B.S. in International Trade & Finance from LSU and dual master’s degrees in Arts Administration and Business Administration from the University of New Orleans, I had no idea what awaited me!  The journey has been awesome - and it continues with my next venture: Obsidienne Consultants - where one of my best friends and I get to continue coaching clients, help communities thrive, and develop real estate projects that transform lives.

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All of this is to say:  this is America.  As I tell my own children, you can do anything you put your mind to.  So my unsolicited advice is to have confidence and believe in yourself.  After all, if you don't, then why should anyone else?