I was born in Philadelphia and raised in South Jersey. I grew up reading the Bulletin, which was eventually absorbed into the Philadelphia Inquirer — and decades later, I found myself writing for it, something I never imagined I'd do.

I never planned on becoming a writer, a photographer, or a videographer. Early in my career, I set out for New York and took whatever work came my way: waiting tables while building a career as a set designer. My sets appeared in the windows of Harvey Nichols in London and Giorgio Armani in New York, and graced the pages of Architectural Digest. In those days I lived at the Chelsea Hotel, where I paid $200 a month in rent — plus the fresh flowers I arranged for the hotel's famed lobby — but that's a story for another day.

After 9/11, I, like so many New Yorkers, took stock of my life and shifted gears. I enrolled at Lehman College in the Bronx, where I studied English literature and photography. After completing my master's as a Bollinger Fellow at Columbia Journalism, I wrote features for the Inquirer, then covered architecture and urbanism for The Wall Street Journal, The Architect's Newspaper, and Landscape Architecture Magazine. I eventually left full-time reporting to work in communications at Fordham University and later at Barnard College, Columbia University.

As a freelancer, I write long- and short-form articles, as well as the text for books, such as GeoBioMiami and Power of Purpose. I photograph intimate portraits and large scale events. I record news videos at conferences, capturing participant and attendee commentary. I also organize studio productions centered on research and external messaging. My clients include institutions of higher education, government, and nonprofits, including: Hunter College, BRIC Arts, BloomAgainBklyn, and the New York Junior League.

I am based in Queens, where I live with my husband and two dogs. In my downtime, I explore the borough's food markets, research recipes, practice pilates, and knit socks.