My Story
I was raised the oldest of four children in a working-class family in Northern California. My father Vincent was the son of Italian immigrants and a veteran of World War II. During my childhood, he delivered bread throughout the Redding area. He was proud of the hard work he put in, and proud that as a Teamster he had the security to support his wife and children.
When I was older, he and my mother Irene opened an Italian-American restaurant in Redding called D'Amato's, and they worked hard for the next 20 years at their version of the American Dream. Working as a waitress at D'Amato's enabled me to put myself through college, embarking on my own American Dream. I married my late husband, John, in 1964, and earned my degree in Mathematics with a minor in Political Science in 1969.
My husband and I moved to Reno in 1970 and found work in Washoe County's growing school system – John at Traner Middle School and myself at Vaughn Middle School (both were Junior High Schools at the time). We built our first house in Southwest Reno as John began teaching at Incline High School, where I would join him in 1977 after also teaching at Hug and Reed High Schools.
We moved to Incline Village in 1978 and would live there until John's death in 1999, although work brought me back to Reno as Math/Science Department Chair at Galena High School beginning in 1992. I was also a founding Administrator of Rainshadow Community Charter High School, which has been located in District 27 since its inception.
As an educator, it has always been important to me to continue my own education. While working full time, I went on to earn a Master’s in School Administration from the University of San Francisco and a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Nevada.
During my career as an educator I taught high school math, computer programming, and speech and debate. I continue to be certified to teach many subjects at the middle and high school levels, including Mathematics, English, Computer Programming, History, and Political Science. At the University level, I have taught courses in the Colleges of Engineering and Education at UNR and at Sierra Nevada College, and have supervised the student teaching experiences of students from both schools.
Since returning to Reno and since my retirement in 2004, I have been an active participant and leader in such groups as Nevada Women’s Lobby (Northern Chair and Chair of Grassroots Lobby Days), the American Association of University Women (State President and Public Policy Chair), and the Washoe County Democratic Party (Volunteer Coordinator for Assembly District 27).
Active in Democratic issues in Washoe County since the early 1980s, I have worked hard and tirelessly as a professional and as a volunteer to make Nevada a better place, proving my commitment and my ability to work with people of differing viewpoints to achieve results on a wide variety of issues.
In my career and personal life, I strive to demonstrate my commitment and dedication to setting and achieving goals, and my ability to work for solutions to complex problems.