I am a Professor at the University of Hawaii where for 38 years I have been the Director of the graduate program in Theatre, Puppetry and Mask Making. As a summa cum laude graduate I received my MFA from Arizona State University with a major in Theatre. My PhD in Communications, with a minor in Early Childhood, was granted from the University of Southern California. I have authored eight books including the classic text Puppetry in Early Childhood Education, the historical study of Tony Sarg: America's First Puppeteer, and the popular Celebrate, a collection of international holiday activities. Currently I am working with Calabash Books publishing a series about cultures and endangered species of the Pacific Rim. Kraken-ka, The Komodo Dragon, A Tale of Indonesia and The Little Snow Fox, A Tale of the North Pacific are the first in the series.

I specialize in quality programs for the cruise industry. Since l996 I have been a special interest lecturer with Seabourn Cruise Line lecturing on Pacific Rim Flower Legends and Tapa Bark Cloth as well as traditional Puppetry in the Asian and Southeast Asian countries of China, India, Myranmar (Burma), Thailand and Vietnam. Other lectures incude the Mask Traditions and Body Ornamentation of Oceania.

My love for travel has taken me around the world:
Africa: Kenya
Asia: China, Korea, Japan
Caribbean: Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands
Central America: Mexico
Europe: Germany, France, Austria, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales
Mediterranean: Grease, Turkey
Middle East: Israel, Egypt, Jordon, Yemen
North Atlantic: Shetland Islands, Faero Islands, Iceland, Greenland, Newfoundland
Pacific Northwest: Alaska, Aleutians
Russia: West and East
Scandinavia: Denmark, Finland, Norway
Southeast Asia: Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia
South Pacific: Hawaiian Islands, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Australia, American Samoa, Western Samoa

At the University of Hawaii I direct multi-cultural theatre productions. My plays and musicals are performed annually on the University Kennedy Theatre main stage to over 6,000 audience members. My puppet shows have toured statewide and my work has been featured many times on the local PBS affiliate, KHET. My students are professional puppeteers with Sesame Street, Eureka’s Castle, and Between the Lions as well as having appeared in The Muppet Movies.

When not involved in professional pursuits I enjoy basket weaving and outdoor activities of scuba diving, kayaking, and hiking. My husband (a retired airline pilot) and I sail our cruising catamaran around the Hawaiian Islands and fly safety missions as members of the United States Coast Guard Auxillary.