Tell us a little about yourself. You can include your personal background, family, outside interests that are important to who you are as a person and a candidate.
I grew up in Lexington in the Countryside neighborhood and went to Harrington, Muzzey, and LHS. Making a home ‘back in town’ was important to me and my husband, Henry Liu, and we have been here since 1992. In my first career I worked in the telecom and technology industries in various operations, performance management, financial management and administrative roles; I am now a professor of business analytics and operations management. I am an active volunteer in town, and enjoy hiking, reading, and knitting.
Why are you running for Town Meeting?
I have long been interested in how our town functions and serves its constituents effectively; growing up my mom and stepfather were always keenly aware of and attentive to what was happening in town, and I watched their involvement in various volunteer and civic roles. As a scout troop leader, I’ve spent many years bringing groups of scouts to various public meetings and have facilitated their learning about how our local government is structured, and how the community works. I first sought election to Town Meeting as I felt it was time to stop observing and get involved. I hope to continue serving in Town Meeting as a representative of the community as I believe I understand the priorities of the community at-large, and I bring a perspective that both honors the history of Lexington as well as looks forward to where Lexington is going.
How has your past experience — whether in your professional life, elected office, or as a community leader — prepared you for a role in Town Meeting?
Community activities:
• Volunteer with Scout Troop 160; served as registrar & advancement chair; current merit badge counselor & Eagle scout coordinator (2014–present)
• Diamond Site Council (member, 2014–2016; Chair, 2015–2016),
• Fiske Site Council (2012–2013)
• Room parent, Fiske (2007–2010)
• Treasurer & board member, Lexington Historical Society (1997–2000),
• St. Brigid Parish (various volunteer roles over many years)
Professional Experience:
The first half of my career was all about process development, performance management, project management, and both capital and operating budget management. In my current role as a professor, I teach people how to make better decisions by using data and analysis, and how to manage projects, processes and people to deliver results. I also lead the graduate program assurance of learning process, and course coordination for our core introductory stats/analytics course. All of these experiences have helped me to develop skills in collaborative decision making, project management, process management, analytics, and budget administration, and I leverage these capabilities in everything I do.
I am able to work effectively with people who have different views by working hard to find some sort of common ground and using that as a starting point. I make a point of listening to everyone carefully, and gathering as much information as possible to be able to discern how to proceed. I believe this approach fits well in Town Meeting. I read and acknowledge every email I receive as a Town Meeting member.
What is the most important issue in this election to you personally, and what ideas do you have about how to address this issue?
First is housing. My parents, my husband’s parents, and Henry and I all chose Lexington as the place we would put down roots and raise our families. When we bought our first house in Lexington, I was a supervisor at NYNEX and my husband was a bank examiner trainee. That couple, in 2025, could not buy a home in Lexington. So I am very interested in how we make housing at all price points a reality in our town. I am surprised by the number of units in the pipeline as a result of Article 34, as that number is higher, and happening faster, than anticipated. I believe we in Town Meeting have to figure out how to balance the very real need to create smaller, lower-cost housing choices with the impacts to the community at large.
And of course, the LHS project. I hope to see that project managed in a way that ensures we have a school that will serve the needs of the town, but also be built in an efficient and cost effective way.
I love living in Lexington and hope to be here for many many more years—I hope to continue to serve in Town Meeting to be a part of shaping our town for the future. Thank you for your consideration.