I’ve worked at AU for almost three years. Before that, I worked in finance at Nestlé, which brought me to DC after living in Europe for nine years.

My job is to serve as an internal service provider supporting the financial operations and monitoring the financial performance of all the departments within Campus Auxiliary Services, including Dining, University Conference and Guest Services, the One Card office, AU’s real estate properties, and Airlie. Part of my job is to help support the business side of Airlie Berkshire Farm and its community-supported agriculture (CSA) program. I help with revenue projections, financial planning, setting prices, and purchasing additional supplies like fertilizer. It’s a neat program that is the product of a lot of heart and labor. (You can sign up for the summer season here.)

A typical day includes crunching data in spreadsheets and meeting with key stakeholders in our department to understand the business that helps translate those numbers. My office is at 3201 New Mexico Avenue.

My go-to lunch spot is Shemalis for a wrap or the best lentil soup ever. My go-to order at Starbucks is a black coffee with oat milk. My favorite place on campus to steal a quiet moment is Woods-Brown Amphitheater. Campus is at its prettiest during spring when all the flowers are blooming.  

I show my AU spirit by taking my family to AU men’s and women’s basketball games. The person who helped show me the ropes is Jan Post, now the chief budget officer, but the entire budget office team has been so helpful. I found my community at AU through the International Faculty and Staff Affinity and parent support groups.

My favorite days of the workweek are Wednesdays and Fridays, when I can work from home. Since I have two young kids, I’m able to juggle my schedule a lot better between work and home in Friendship Heights. My work-from-home rituals include getting laundry and dinner prep done during my breaks.

When I’m not at work, you can find me taking my kids from one activity to another. My hobbies include hiking and long-distance running. Right now, I am training for the New York City Marathon in November—my fourth such race. I also speak three languages (Japanese, French, and English) and enjoy baking pastries and cakes.

The last great book I read was Rouge Bresil by Jean-Christophe Rufin. The last great show I watched was Masters of the Air. The last great meals I ate were with good food and wine on vacation last year along the northern lakes of Italy. My most Washington moment was interning for my representative at the US Capitol when I was a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. I gave tours, opened mail, and helped legislative assistants write memos.

If I didn’t work at AU, I’d open my own coffee and pastry shop which I’ve always thought about as a side gig, but takes a lot of work and start-up funding. But my job at AU is best because of the people and the collaborative work culture here. People at AU are genuinely nice and have the best interests of the university and their colleagues in mind.