Top Standards:
Administrative
Entertaining
Clothing and Valet
Personal Care.
Personal Statement:
I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to a Catholic family with two older siblings. My mother and father immigrated to the United States from Ireland, where they both held “domestic” positions. Growing up, my mother worked as a nanny and my father worked as a chauffeur. Later in my youth, my mother pursued her love of service and completed nursing school. Due to my parents’ influence, as well as growing up in a Catholic household, I was raised with very strong morals, values, and ethics. I believe in respecting others and treating them as I would like to be treated. I value conscientious, well-done work and view this as a form of self-respect. I hold myself to very high standards and have a very strong work ethic, instilled by my Irish-Catholic family.
As a child, I worked jobs as a paper boy, shoveling snow for neighbors, worked at a soda fountain, as a camp counselor, and as a houseman one summer on Martha’s Vineyard. From a young age, my life was dedicated to serving others. As an adult, I pursued a career in teaching, being of service in an educational capacity. I was of service to my family and our relatives and friends, acting as a designated gift-buyer for special occasions. I also worked as an event coordinator after my teaching career, orchestrating the details of intimate and gala-type events.
My personal work style is very “hands-on,” with a pleasant, cooperative, and positive attitude. I pride myself on having a very good sense of humor and being able to find laughter in daily events and activities. I believe that service is simply, “providing personal assistance to someone in need.” My work ethic lends itself to accomplishing this task in a professional manner, respecting boundaries, and acting in accordance with the given situation. I am very results oriented and believe in communicating and working in a very respectful manner. I am results-oriented in all aspects of my life and believe in working toward and achieving goals.
My upbringing has brought me to a point of being very family-centric. As a child, most of our entertaining was centered on family events and holidays. These are some of my happiest memories, and I enjoy working in Private Homes where I can enable other families to thrive and enjoy their time together.
In 1995, after the sudden passing of the Headmaster at Starkey International, I assumed the role of educating two subsequent classes while the Institute looked for a permanent Headmaster. My years of experience in education and teaching, combined with my lifetime in Private Service made me an ideal person for this temporary role.
As I have grown in my career in Private Service, I am now in a place where I would like to provide a high level of service to a couple, or single individual as a Personal Assistant or Household Manager. I would like to support them in their charity or social entertainment. I would also be capable of managing and supporting daily operations, scheduling/managing personal events and parties. I am happy to travel with a Principal for business or to other homes as well.
My top four standards are: Administrative, Entertaining, Clothing and Valet, and Personal Care.
Administrative: I have been involved in administrative duties in all of my job experiences.
As a school teacher, one must be organized with a strong eye for detail. As an administrator for American Paradigm Schools, my position was that of Director of Communications and Community Development. I was responsible for all public relations and partnerships with every cultural organization in the city of Philadelphia. In all of the households where I worked as a House Manager, I was responsible for balancing all financial purchases and vendor or contractor payments. I am familiar with the use of PC and Mac operating systems. I have experience managing staff at multiple households. A recent household in which I worked had housekeepers, nannies, chefs and chauffeur. My lost position, I was responsible for finding all of my principal’s concierge resources and logistics that were extensive and international in scope.
Entertaining: Entertaining was always an essential part of any household in which I worked. There were dinner parties from 8 to 24 invited guests and events for two or three hundred invited guests. I was personally involved in all of the pre-planning and on site details for these celebrations. I understand the logistics required to plan for these types of events, including catering, décor, entertainment, invitations, managing guest lists, and ensuring that the vision of the Principal is executed flawlessly.
Clothing and Valet: Every home that I worked in required that I oversee the personal shopping and care of both women’s and men’s wardrobes. Once I established the style and standard of employers, it was an enjoyable task to purchase necessary wardrobe pieces. I would often lay out and set up possible coordinated daily wardrobe selections. Organizing closets and packing for business and leisure travel was often my responsibility. I have always been told that I have very good taste and have a strong background in fashion.
Personal Care: My Personal Care experience spans every phase of life from childhood to elder care. I have worked as a camp counselor and grew up with a mother who was a nanny. With Elder Care, I have cared for family and close friends in their later years of life. I have a natural affinity and communication style with seniors. I have an ability to be present in both my conversation and attention. I am familiar with managing schedules for the needs of elders in regard to their appointments, prescriptions, and various types of therapies (occupational/speech/etc). I am also familiar with catering to the needs of guests and customizing service in the home to meet the needs of guests. I am familiar with pet care, having grown up and worked in homes that always had domestic pets. I have a “Concierge Mind” when it comes to meeting the needs of guests in the home, regardless of their age or level of care required.
