What did you think you would be when you grew up?I was quite certain I would be a veterinarian when I grew up. I’ve always had animals, but will admit the time in New York City made that more challenging. Now I have 80 acres, a black lab that is constantly in the pond and a horse that rivals Mr. Ed with his communication skills.
Name one or some of your favorite movies.“Gandhi,” “The Elephant Man,” “Gone with the Wind” and “Ferris Buehler’s Day Off” — all really great stories with fascinating people who did things a little left of center.
Describe your perfect dream vacation.Next month I leave for the Galapagos Islands — a place that has been on my dream list for quite a while. I suspect the experience will end up being like my dream vacation to Costa Rica — lots of great wildlife, not many people, a tremendous learning opportunity. I find putting myself deeper into the food chain really enhances my priorities in life.
What book are you currently reading? I just finished “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen, my newest most favorite book. I am now reading “Galapagos, A Natural History” by Michael H. Jackson in anticipation of my next trip.
Aside from a family member, whom would you most want to be stranded with on a deserted island?A few years back, I had the opportunity to travel with Howard Yana Shapiro — one of the world’s leading experts in our industry [Shapiro is the global director of plant science and external research, Mars, Inc.] and in global sustainable agriculture. He is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met, has a big fun meter, knows how to appreciate people and local communities, and will be able to either grow any food I could possibly desire or at least identify what’s on the deserted island that might kill us.
What’s your pet peeve? Gum.
I’d give anything to meet: I am the luckiest woman on the planet, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting some pretty amazing characters in this life: Mohammed Ali, Julia Child, Frank Geary, Sting, Bill Clinton and Paul Bocuse, to name a few. I hope I will meet many more interesting people of my time, but I realize there are some people I will not be able to meet because they have already passed away. On that list, Jacques Cousteau — would really like a dinner conversation with him.
The best piece of advice that I’ve gotten: Carry water, and make your grass green where you are standing.
What excites you most about your job?I’m now in a position to help a lot of other people with their businesses. That is very rewarding for me. I wish I would have had someone to whom I could have posed questions when I was just starting. So now I try to be that resource for anyone who can gain insights from anything I have learned along the way.
