How do your personal / unique qualities best fit the International System?
Like the International System, integrity is my most important value. It is more important that someone trust me than that they agree with me.  I believe that outer beauty shines brightest when paired with a foundation of intelligence, personal accomplishment, and commitment to family.

What is something few people know about you?
Many people don’t know that my twins were born really, really early and weren’t expected to survive.  They weighed just over a pound each and spent four-and-a-half months in the hospital.  They had lots of surgeries and continue to see specialists for ongoing medical problems.

What do you do to stay healthy?
For exercise, I play with my three-year-old twins.  For sanity, I get out of the house and work as an engineer at NASA!  I sleep nine hours each night, eat three to five small meals each day, and don’t commit to more than I can handle.

Everyone talks about “family values.” What are they?
Family values are the beliefs and priorities that guide decision-making within a family.  It’s how we behave, particularly in times of stress or high emotion.  In my family, we applied these values when our childrens’ medical needs influenced my taking a leave of absence from work to care for them.

What is your worst habit?  Why?
My worst habit is reading for “just ten more minutes.”  Whether it’s a nonfiction book or a romance novel, I get caught up reading hours past my bedtime.  My husband laughs and covers his face with a pillow when I say I’m going to read for just ten more minutes.