Who I am
Creator of CommunitiesI've done community development work for a lot of years, both just the social piece in online spaces and the more "placemaking" type stuff as a volunteer/activist. I run r/CitizenPlanners and launched Eclogiselle in Fall 2020, a development resource for small communities.
- I have a Certificate in GIS from UC-Riverside, one of the most respected GIS programs in the world.
- I'm a few classes short of a BS in Environmental Resource Management with a concentration in Housing.
- I'm interested in the built environment, environmental issues, tech stuff and things where those intersect.
Writer
I run a whole bunch of websites on a wide variety of topics and I have worked as a freelance writer for years. I also edit resumes sometimes.
Homelessness SME
My knowledge of the subject comes from a college class at SFSU called Homelessness and Public Policy, 5.7 years of sleeping in a tent myself and years of writing about the topic.
"Health Nut"
In my mid-thirties, I was diagnosed with a serious genetic disorder. In defiance of all expectations, I've been getting healthier ever since my diagnosis in May 2001.
- I'm currently drug free. (But I'm not anti drug. Instead, I'm pro health.)
- My condition is managed with diet and lifestyle.
- I'm pretty persistently interested in things like genetic research, gut microbiome and "bio hacking."
These are a few details that have strongly shaped my identity.
- I have a multi-cultural background -- German/Irish/Cherokee -- and I never quite fit in anywhere.
- I'm a former military wife and homeschooling mom of 2xE kids.
- After that, I spent a few years as a single mom with a corporate job at a Fortune 500 company.
- While homeschooling my kids, I was briefly the Director of Community Life for The TAG Project during a time when they were trying to become an officially incorporated non-profit. This meant I was the lead moderator and in charge of diversity initiatives, among other things.
- In spite of being American, I have been car free for over a decade.
Last Updated October 14, 2020.