"walk on air against your better judgement" - Seamus HeaneyA mathematician and lawyer by training and a lifelong dancer who is passionate about the performing, visual, and literary arts, I presently serve as the Deputy Chief Development Officer for Campaign and Stewardship at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. My now-late mother was born and raised in Donegal, Ireland, and educated at the Drumoghill National School in Manorcunningham and Loreto Convent in Letterkenny, where she once appeared in a staged performance about the Irish mythological island Tír na nÓg. She loved the arts, particularly the recitation of poetry, and passed on that love to me. Having circumnavigated the world when she and my father emigrated from Ireland to Australia and then to the United States, when they were both in their early twenties, my mother cultivated an appreciation of other cultures in addition to a deep pride and love of Irish culture. This has inspired my own passion for the arts of Ireland and other countries and cultures. Her introducing me to Irish dancing and the poetry of the Romantic era has led to my studying and performing ballet and Raqs Sharqi (Middle Eastern dancing) and cultivating interests in French, German, and Italian opera; lieder and other classical music; Flamenco dancing and music; the music of Bollywood films, Ella Fitzgerald, Hawaii, Prince, and Nina Simone; plays by Brian Friel and William Shakespeare; French paintings and drawings; Islamic and Japanese art; and American, British, Irish, and Sufi poetry, among many other arts. I am an exceptional writer and researcher, creative thinker, dedicated leader, considerate mentor and teacher, and generous colleague who is committed to producing and inspiring thoughtful and meaningful work for people in whom and causes in which I believe. Through my thoughts, interests, actions, communications, and interpersonal relationships, I aspire to make life more beautiful and kinder.