Title: Public Relations/Publications Manager, School of Music.
Family: Husband Kendall Simpson, a composer who works as the music director for the dance program at Emory University, and two sons: Max, 10, who loves baseball, tennis and playing guitar; and Noah, 5, animal-lover and full-time explorer.
How long have you worked at Georgia State? Six years and three months.
What do you do on a typical day? It really depends on the day. I'm a one-stop shop - writer, editor, designer, events organizer, marketing and public relations person. A large portion of my time is spent creating programs for School of Music events - about 225 a year. I gather the information, edit it, lay out the programs, and supervise the printing and delivery.
I also produce newsletters, posters, flyers, brochures, advertisements and recruiting materials -- and I try to get the School of Music as much free coverage as I can in a variety of publications.
It's a fun job. We're a pretty tight-knit bunch over here in the School of Music, which is nice. And I'm constantly interacting with the students, being part of the educational process.
What's your background? I have a degree in theater and creative writing for the media. I started my career as an actor/singer, then started writing, and then moved into arts administration. Since moving to Atlanta from Chicago in 1993, I've worked at Theatre in the Square in Marietta, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Atlanta Opera. I've been with the School of Music since 2002.
What do you do when you're not working? I just started a Masters in Public Administration at the Andrew Young School -- if any one out there is a stats wizard, please contact me immediately.
I also love bicycling. I try to ride to work four times a week, and I aim to ride at least a 40-miler on the weekend if I can get the time away from family duties.
What's your favorite thing in your office? I collect snowglobes -- when family, friends or our faculty travel, they bring me souvenirs from all over. I have the strongest sentimental connection to one I bought in New York City in the summer of 2001 -- it shows the skyline with the Twin Towers still standing.
What don't people know about you? As a young actor, I used to have to dress in costume to promote productions at the theater where I worked. Once, I had to dress up as Louisa May Alcott for a Rotary event, but I couldn't even get in the door -- literally, because my hoop skirt was too wide and I kept getting stuck. Another time I had to dress up as the Velveteen Rabbit to pass out flyers in a tobacco company cafeteria.
If you weren't working at Georgia State, what would your ideal job be? Candy tester -- I'm in search of the ultimate malted milk ball.