Tell us a little bit about yourself and your career.
I was born and raised in Hawaii and am celebrating 25 years of marriage this year. My husband and I met in Switzerland, and we have a daughter and three sons.  I am the owner of a civil engineering firm that specializes in traffic engineering. I am most passionate about playing in the space where transportation and parking integrates with community spaces.

Why are you a member of ULI?
The most inspiring, talented, and visionary people I have met are part of this organization. I love the unique blend of backgrounds each person brings. The committees, topics, and events have stretched me as an engineer and continually open my eyes and mind to think about the big picture and how transportation is one element that must balance and enhance all the other aspects of a project.

What professional accomplishment are you most proud of?
Stepping out with four other engineers to start Lōkahi in July 2019 is something I still cannot believe we accomplished. It has been the most amazing journey! Lōkahi is built upon more than people and a building, it is built on heart and soul. I welcome anyone to come and meet our team and stop by our office to experience Lōkahi!

What (or who) were your strongest influences in life?
My faith is everything! It is where I find direction, purpose, hope, strength, and joy!

What is the biggest challenge you have overcome?
My own self. I think, ultimately, what holds most people back are our insecurities and fears. I still struggle with this, but now I am more comfortable with the uncomfortable. I walk into rooms or sit at tables that I often feel I do not belong at, but it is in these rooms and at these tables that I find I learn the most and come out inspired! I have so many outside-of-the-box ideas. It is much easier to just march in line, but I find the greatest moments come when I’ve stepped out of line. It is also in these moments when outside-of-the-box ideas come to fruition.

What mantra do you live by?
I have a few sayings and one is “check, done!” I love to get things done and off the list. I will even say this out loud.

Another mantra I use at work is “we can have a ton of things to get done and stress about it, or we can have a ton of things to get done and not stress about it.” In the end stress does not change or help anything, so there is no point in stressing. In fact, stress often erodes productive time. Eliminating the “worry” helps us to focus on getting things to “check, done!”

“Big Day! Big Day! Game Day!” is something I say in the morning clapping my hands. There might be something big going on or not, but I love the positive energy that comes just by the motion of clapping and saying these words. I think it fires up the people around me too!