Occupation: I am manager of the School-Based Health Centers programs, which are health care facilities based in schools, to increase timely access to medical, behavioral, and dental health care for kids in schools. Right now, I’m facilitating the new health care center in the Newtown Middle School, which we hope to open in January. It’s a community response to the need for long-term medical and mental health care, following 12/14. I worked 34 years before this for the City of Danbury, managing school health care centers. I retired in 2013, but I was recruited by Connecticut Institute for Communities, a nonprofit, overseeing the School-Based Health Centers programs. So, I’m not retired anymore, but it was a good move. It’s been a nice life change.

Family: My husband is Douglas. We have two children. Douglas Jr is 28 years old and a sports writer for Hearst Publications. Courtney is 26, and a chairside assistant for a periodontist.

Pets: We have Toby, a 6-year-old chocolate Lab, and a calico Maine Coon cat named Sophia Rita.

How long have you lived here? We moved to Newtown in 1985, and then to Sandy Hook to be closer to town, about 14 years ago. We’ve been here almost 30 years.

What do you like to do in your free time? Two things, right now. I used to horseback ride, but now I spend a lot of time at Club NewFit. I do spinning and yoga there several times a week. I volunteer for Puppies Behind Bars, a group that places Labrador retriever puppies in the prison in Danbury. The prisoner does the obedience training with the puppy, and then volunteers like me take the puppies out into social settings. The puppies go into special training after a year, either to become an explosive device detection dog or a service dog for disabled veterans. I like to garden, too, and I read when I have a chance.

What are you reading now? I’m reading Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight. I’m part way through. It’s a good book. I have a whole stack of books to read next to the bedside, though.

Do you have a favorite travel destination? The Dominican Republic. I’ve been about eight times. We go to Purta Plata, in the mountains. I used to horseback ride there, and we’ve made friends there. It’s beautiful, and the people are very friendly.

What is the best thing about Newtown? It’s a very caring community. While it has changed and grown, people still tend to be very dedicated and care about the community. The school and town have really embraced this new health center. They know it will benefit the community. I see it at the gym, too — people who care about each other.

Who has been the greatest influence in your life? My mother, who died in a double homicide home invasion, in 1991, in Florida. We had a challenging life, growing up, but my mother was very strong and maintained a sense of humor. That rubbed off on me. She was a very wise woman. She gave all of us strength, and it helped me later in life, especially when I had to deal with her death.

Do you have a personal philosophy? Make the most of each day, because life is short. Try to appreciate what you have every day. Focus on the positive.

Do you have a guilty pleasure? I enjoy wine. I went to a tour recently in the Chianti region of Italy. They taught us how to really taste wine. The wines in Italy are better than here. They have no preservatives. It was really interesting, so I think my guilty pleasure now is wine.